Not the Onion: Some Americans Trying to Heat Homes with Bitcoin Mining [View all]
Bitcoin mining generates heat which is unwanted and wasted in data centers so...
The NYTimes reviewed one of devices:
This Space Heater Mines Bitcoin While Keeping You Warm. (But Not Enough to Pay for Itself).
...Others use the heat from their own in-home cryptocurrency mining to spread warmth throughout their house. "I've seen bitcoin rigs running quietly in attics, with the heat they generate rerouted through the home's ventilation system to offset heating costs. It's a clever use of what would otherwise be wasted energy," said Jill Ford, CEO of Bitford Digital, a sustainable bitcoin mining company based in Dallas... "Same price as heating the house, but the perk is that you are mining bitcoin," Ford said...
At TC Car, Truck and RV Wash, Peterson says, the owner was spending $25 a day to heat his wash bays to melt snow and warm up the water. "Traditional heaters would consume energy with no returns. They installed bitcoin miners and it produces more money in bitcoin than it costs to run," Peterson said. Meanwhile, an industrial concrete company is offsetting its $1,000 a month bill to heat its 2,500-gallon water tank by heating it with bitcoin. Peterson has heated his own home for two-and-a-half years using bitcoin mining equipment and believes that heat will power almost everything in the future. "You will go to Home Depot in a few years and buy a water heater with a data port on it and your water will be heated with bitcoin," Peterson said.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/heatbit-space-heater-review/
Experts like Derek Mohr point out that "home computers, would have almost zero chance of being helpful in mining a block of bitcoin."
I think Hasbro should bring back the Easy-Bake Oven as "The Easy-Bitcoin Oven"