A bathhouse in Brooklyn, New York, has left users on Instagram and Twitter divided after it revealed that it is using Bitcoin (BTC) mining rigs to heat its spa.
Bathhouse explained in an Instagram post on Wednesday, June 21, that it is running mining rigs at its N 10th Street address in Brooklyn, which generate heat as a byproduct. In the post, it described in three steps how the heat is taken by heat exchangers and used to heat the venue’s pools, via a circulating system.
Bitcoin mining is the process of creating valid blocks that add transaction records to Bitcoin’s public ledger, which is called a blockchain. Bitcoin mining consumes a significant amount of energy, often sourced from non-renewable fossil fuels. This contributes to carbon emissions and has raised concerns about its environmental footprint.
In January 2022, a report estimated that the Bitcoin mining network emitted 42 megatons (Mt) of carbon dioxide(CO2), accounting for 0.08% of the world’s CO2 production.
Instagram users who follow the Bathhouse account weren’t all sold on the idea. A user who identifies as Annalarranaga posted “This makes me like Bathhouse less. Now I’m concerned about who is mining this cryptocurrency, who is profiting from it, and whether I support that. We’re gonna need some transparency.”
Another user went further, claiming that Bathhouse customers “want pure, unadulterated heat for their salt baths, not that dirty byproduct heat.” Some, on the other hand, reveled in the disdain users had for the mining-heated pools, while at least one seemed happy with them, saying, “I for one think this is a great way to heat the pools and will check this place out because of this.”
Despite Bathhouse’s specific example of carbon-neutral Bitcoin mining, the impact of Bitcoin mining on the environment remains a significant concern, leading to unfavorable responses from many due to its documented effects.
Related: CleanSpark buys two Bitcoin mining campuses for $9.3M
This however isn’t the first time Bitcoin mining heat has been repurposed to save energy. In Europe, miners have come up with creative ways of recycling the heat generated by solving valid Bitcoin blocks. Also in Norway, Kryptovault, known for being a Bitcoin miner and data center uses the hot air generated by Bitcoin mining rigs is recycled and used to dry out chopped logs.
