Heat Your Home for Free With a Smart Furnace

In this video, I talk about a smart high efficiency DIY home heating solution that can help reduce or eliminate your heating bill. This heater is Internet connected, remotely accessible, and uses very little power - resulting in reduced heating expenses. Also in this video I talk about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This video was created on 17 Nov 2017 and completed on 30 Nov 2017. Enjoy!

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

A viewer wrote with the following comment that offers a correction and clarification to the video:

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You might want to mention that all electric resistance heat is 100% efficient (heat pumps are an exception, they are about 250-300% efficient because they *move* heat). The electric heater you have in the video; hair dryers; toasters; coffee makers; toaster ovens; electric baseboard; irons; burners on stoves; etc, are all 100% efficient (energy in = energy out).

You can't get something for nothing. If the PC costs about $30/month to run vs $108, then it is generating less than 1/3 the amount of heat ($30/$108 = ~28%). Also, since the motherboard and video cards are not intended to be heaters -- the heat is a byproduct -- they are less than 100% efficient as heaters, so something less than 28%. So there is some heat gain, just not nearly as much as a 1,500 watt heater running 24/7. You would need about four (4) of those computers to equal the BTU output of the one electric heater.

That's an important point to make.

Running the PC to mine bitcoin does actually make money, so any heat can be considered "free" in a way. You might say the total net earnings are $100 - $30 for electricity = $70. $70 + the value of the heat (not quite $30, but probably close). So almost $100, *in the heating season*. In the cooling season, the heat would actually be a negative. Not only could you not add the value of the heat (excess BTUs) you would have to subtract the cost of the additional load on the A/C system.

Also, the value of Bitcoin is extremely high right now. What happens to the $70/month earning when the value goes back down?

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RESPONSES

(1) EFFICIENCY. The term efficiency in the video is not meant to describe electrical efficiency, but cost efficiency. The actual efficiency of a heating system is based on purchase cost of heating system, how much heat it provides, and how much the operating costs are. It's with regard to the operating cost that this system becomes very efficient.

(2) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. Yes, a person would need to get more computers to heat a larger space, but over time each system will generate more money than it costs. This is why China and other countries have spent millions setting up currency mining facilities with thousands of computers. it's a good investment even if you're not trying to heat your home.

(3) BITCOIN VALUE. Yes, Bitcoin has gone up in value recently, and for this reason the system described is more profitable than it might be if the currency value drops to where it was a year ago. However, it's not likely to completely crash in value. In other words, as long as it produces more value than the cost of electricity, then it will be profitable. Some speculate that the cost may continue rising. If the market crashes, a person would be left with very capable and usable computers. So, not a bad risk.

[infantryblack]

I enjoyed your video. Smart ideas for a simple problem of warming a room.

[jessejess]

I tried this and your right it does work

[jaystoner]

Short video? It's 53 minutes long!

[cherigallagher]

Can you make a video on how to actually build this machine? Or upload build instructions?

[TheTitian]

well.... just about 5100 BTU's in 1500 watts at known max conversion rate. Are you making the claim you can get more than 5100 BTU's per 1500 watts. TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR. electrical heater use bruit force current through a small gauge wire to cause heat then blow a fan over it to spread the heat. Now oh wonder how a computer makes heat? OH YEA as it demands it pulls more current through small wires and a fan blows over it. not seeing the advantage. Your battery pack stored the extra energy (at a loss might I add) then releases it back when unplugged at another loss but still was paid for just stored and certainly not free. a space heater makes 5100 btu's per hour for 15 cents. You MUST demonstrate BTU per watt over time to validate your claim.. with out that... and you will fail.. its just a bunch of hype and smoke. You can only B.S. the ignorant and yourself

[nixonsmateruby]

What you are talking about at the end already is in use by some people in England, and one person gets something done by another person for a button or a screw, and then that person owes a service and he then can cash this button in and get a job done.

[SubSet]

I could not watch this because you keep repeating yourself and not getting to the meat of the system. I got bored quickly.

[cramsa]

I beat my room with my 2 pc set on nice hash with a 1070... free heat on a down market where I was breaking even last year... I personally saved about $30/month NOT counting the value of the bitcoin earned... If I included the Bitcoins earnes, I saved about $60 per month.

[nicholaslandolina]

Sir you should get your nose checked out!