Google Health will close on January 1, 2012. Users will be able to download their Google Health data through January 1, 2013.

PowerMeter's Blackout

PowerMeter is a green initiative that floundered for a couple of years before Google decided to pull the plug. A free software program that works with a home's utility , PowerMeter graphs daily electricity consumption. The monitoring tool was designed to help households cut energy use by as much as 15 percent.

While smart meters and home energy management systems have generated a lot of attention since PowerMeter's launch, including a to upgrade the nation's aging electrical grid, Google's service didn't exactly generate sparks.

"We're pleased that PowerMeter has helped demonstrate the importance of this access and created something of a model. However, our efforts have not scaled as quickly as we would like, so we are retiring the service," Google writes.