Methods of getting free electricity

[Amph]

solar power or wind power, otherwise , some cheap contract in your zone, but to get a really free electricity, you need something abusive...which is illegal you know

[mavericklm]

solar power or wind power

the initial investment is too high to call it free
free i would call: zero point energy, energy from gasification of garbage....

[havecoch]

solar power or wind power, otherwise , some cheap contract in your zone, but to get a really free electricity, you need something abusive...which is illegal you know

SOlar power is not exactly free as no one knows how long they will be mining, so they might just be buying all those expensive panels, being not able to cover their cost.

[GreatNorthData]

Solar and hydro are 10-15 year investments and is difficult to justify just for mining. Good mining hardware is only useful for 18 months, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to install. (Although that portable hydro plant looked really cool.)

We're the cheapest hosting in the world. There were some people looking for numbers before. Prices start at $67.80/KW and go down from there for pre-payment and larger orders. (And if you want to talk really large orders, we're adding another MW in the next few months, and our bulk prices are also lowest in the world.)

We're located in Canada, carry insurance and have staff on site 24/7.

[brent217]

Solar and hydro are 10-15 year investments and is difficult to justify just for mining. Good mining hardware is only useful for 18 months, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to install. (Although that portable hydro plant looked really cool.)

We're the cheapest hosting in the world. There were some people looking for numbers before. Prices start at $67.80/KW and go down from there for pre-payment and larger orders. (And if you want to talk really large orders, we're adding another MW in the next few months, and our bulk prices are also lowest in the world.)

We're located in Canada, carry insurance and have staff on site 24/7.

Run the numbers for your example setup. 

I see you have a rack of 10 Spondoolies.  Assuming they are SP30s, drawing 2400 watts each, that is 24kw per hour.  In a month that is 24kwx24hoursx30days=17280kwh.  I am guessing you are charging $67.80 Canadian per thousand kwh?  So cost for a month is 17.280*67.80= $1171.58, which is $39.05 per day. 

If your Spondoolies are pulling in 40 TH you are doing very well.  At current difficulty that would be about 0.44 BTC per day in a big pool.  If bitcoin price is over $100 you are (in theory) making money.

Am I missing anything?  Other than the fact that your power is 1/3 of the cost of power in Alberta, which makes me wonder a lot...

[desertfox470]

Solar and hydro are 10-15 year investments and is difficult to justify just for mining. Good mining hardware is only useful for 18 months, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to install. (Although that portable hydro plant looked really cool.)

We're the cheapest hosting in the world. There were some people looking for numbers before. Prices start at $67.80/KW and go down from there for pre-payment and larger orders. (And if you want to talk really large orders, we're adding another MW in the next few months, and our bulk prices are also lowest in the world.)

We're located in Canada, carry insurance and have staff on site 24/7.

Run the numbers for your example setup. 

I see you have a rack of 10 Spondoolies.  Assuming they are SP30s, drawing 2400 watts each, that is 24kw per hour.  In a month that is 24kwx24hoursx30days=17280kwh.  I am guessing you are charging $67.80 Canadian per thousand kwh?  So cost for a month is 17.280*67.80= $1171.58, which is $39.05 per day. 

If your Spondoolies are pulling in 40 TH you are doing very well.  At current difficulty that would be about 0.44 BTC per day in a big pool.  If bitcoin price is over $100 you are (in theory) making money.

Am I missing anything?  Other than the fact that your power is 1/3 of the cost of power in Alberta, which makes me wonder a lot...

The upfront cost of solar power is a lot more than just $100. The normal house using solar power is a usual 15 year investment. It is very risky considering that btc has only been around for 6 years.

[ABitNut]

Lighting is the only free source of electricity I know of.

Of course there may be some minor issues with this source but I'm sure we can work it out

[MrTeal]

Lighting is the only free source of electricity I know of.

Of course there may be some minor issues with this source but I'm sure we can work it out

Actually it is said that one bolt of lightning can be enough electricity for an entire country for days. So ofcourse, if there is a way to get that, it would be the  end for mining costs.

Depends on the country. The US consumes 4,401,698GWh per year, or 15,846,112,800GJ. That's 502GJ per second, or 502GW. At 5 Gigajoules per lightning bolt, a lightning bolt would power the US for 1/100th of a second.

[Mikestang]

Many homes in the USA have their own natural gas well on the property.

Uh, what?  Where?  Show me a picture.  I have never once seen a personal natural gas well.

I've toyed with the idea of a small solar setup only a couple KW, could use it for the rest of the house if I ever stopped mining, so wouldn't be a total loss or waste.

[DieJohnny]

Many homes in the USA have their own natural gas well on the property.

Uh, what?  Where?  Show me a picture.  I have never once seen a personal natural gas well.

I've toyed with the idea of a small solar setup only a couple KW, could use it for the rest of the house if I ever stopped mining, so wouldn't be a total loss or waste.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/%22natural-gas-well%22_att/days_sort/52.935397,-50.581055,18.521283,-140.405273_rect/3_zm/

Happy shopping and enjoy your relocation

[MrTeal]

Many homes in the USA have their own natural gas well on the property.

Uh, what?  Where?  Show me a picture.  I have never once seen a personal natural gas well.

I've toyed with the idea of a small solar setup only a couple KW, could use it for the rest of the house if I ever stopped mining, so wouldn't be a total loss or waste.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/%22natural-gas-well%22_att/days_sort/52.935397,-50.581055,18.521283,-140.405273_rect/3_zm/

Happy shopping and enjoy your relocation

50 hits, most false?
"Property has natural gas, well, and new solar panels."
"8 acres of pasture, fenced & cross fenced, 1600 sq.ft., brick, 3bed/2bath home with CH&A (new in 2010), natural gas, well w/new tank, woodburning fireplace..."
"Elevated residential lot with natural gas, well share and electric. "
"Property consists of 3 parcels with 17+ acres currently being farmed plus natural gas well, last used in 1982"
"Last lot in Sub, Located back of street on Cul De Sac. Paved Street, Underground Utilities, Natural Gas, Well/Septic Needed."

Etc, etc.

There are some, but it's hardly common.

[Mikestang]

Many homes in the USA have their own natural gas well on the property.

Uh, what?  Where?  Show me a picture.  I have never once seen a personal natural gas well.

I've toyed with the idea of a small solar setup only a couple KW, could use it for the rest of the house if I ever stopped mining, so wouldn't be a total loss or waste.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/%22natural-gas-well%22_att/days_sort/52.935397,-50.581055,18.521283,-140.405273_rect/3_zm/

Happy shopping and enjoy your relocation

I clicked a few of the houses at that link, every single one I clicked has the words "natural gas" and "well" in its description, but not a single one had a "natural gas well".  So I ask again, show me a picture of one.  I've driven across the US twice, I've been to a lot of places in this country, and never once seen a house with its own natural gas well.

[Shohaib1]

Yes, You are right. Old hardware is only useful, If Electricity is not the paid one.

Okay...You sparked my curiosity. Why 1960 and prior???
[/quote]'

Most buildings built in the 70s or prior didn't have individual meters because electricity was super cheap in most of North America.

So there are buildings where you pay a fixed rate per year. At the end of the year they take the entire buildings bill and split it against all the occupants. So your 1-2KW miner won't really have much an effect against hundreds of other occupants.

It would be too expensive to re-wire all the electricals just to put in individual meters. I am sure these days "MOST" miners who are still mining with old hardware are only mining because they don't pay for electricity. I am pretty sure this is true for anyone out there still mining with GPUs since its next to impossible to make money on those if you pay for electricity.

Also most business and offices have really cheap or fixed electricity. So you can ask your boss if you are allowed. Most tech companies don't mind.

And if you are a student and live at a college or university you should have free electricity also.
[/quote]

[jmintuck]

I used to work at this company which used to pay my electricity bills. I think I could have taken advantage of that to run miners, but a sudden rise of cost might have tipped them off. So I didn't.
But Thats the only way I can think of getting free-electricity.

[MrTeal]

I'm actually shocked no one has made the joke about asking friedcat the best way to get free power yet.

[DieJohnny]

Many homes in the USA have their own natural gas well on the property.

Uh, what?  Where?  Show me a picture.  I have never once seen a personal natural gas well.

I've toyed with the idea of a small solar setup only a couple KW, could use it for the rest of the house if I ever stopped mining, so wouldn't be a total loss or waste.

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/%22natural-gas-well%22_att/days_sort/52.935397,-50.581055,18.521283,-140.405273_rect/3_zm/

Happy shopping and enjoy your relocation

I clicked a few of the houses at that link, every single one I clicked has the words "natural gas" and "well" in its description, but not a single one had a "natural gas well".  So I ask again, show me a picture of one.  I've driven across the US twice, I've been to a lot of places in this country, and never once seen a house with its own natural gas well.

I think you clicked on one house. The second one i clicked is this one:

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/81905405_zpid/%22natural-gas-well%22_att/days_sort/52.935397,-50.581055,18.521283,-140.405273_rect/3_zm/

a simple google search will help you out. you are either the world's biggest skeptic or a troll.

[notlist3d]

I used to work at this company which used to pay my electricity bills. I think I could have taken advantage of that to run miners, but a sudden rise of cost might have tipped them off. So I didn't.
But Thats the only way I can think of getting free-electricity.

The only thing I have ever had close is student housing.  It is more and more common with student appartments to include electricity with a cap price.  Mine it was included and the highest "peak" they would charge is 25 dollars extra.

That being said they are not built for mining or lots of watts.   Also I did not do it as It would have been kinda a ass move as my roommates would have paid higher price (25 dollars each) if I abused it.

[picolo]

I used to work at this company which used to pay my electricity bills. I think I could have taken advantage of that to run miners, but a sudden rise of cost might have tipped them off. So I didn't.
But Thats the only way I can think of getting free-electricity.

The only thing I have ever had close is student housing.  It is more and more common with student appartments to include electricity with a cap price.  Mine it was included and the highest "peak" they would charge is 25 dollars extra.

That being said they are not built for mining or lots of watts.   Also I did not do it as It would have been kinda a ass move as my roommates would have paid higher price (25 dollars each) if I abused it.

If you use much more electricity than average in a student housing, you may be targeted for a verification that you are not growing marijuana plants.

[notlist3d]

I used to work at this company which used to pay my electricity bills. I think I could have taken advantage of that to run miners, but a sudden rise of cost might have tipped them off. So I didn't.
But Thats the only way I can think of getting free-electricity.

The only thing I have ever had close is student housing.  It is more and more common with student appartments to include electricity with a cap price.  Mine it was included and the highest "peak" they would charge is 25 dollars extra.

That being said they are not built for mining or lots of watts.   Also I did not do it as It would have been kinda a ass move as my roommates would have paid higher price (25 dollars each) if I abused it.

If you use much more electricity than average in a student housing, you may be targeted for a verification that you are not growing marijuana plants.

The main thing they were worried about is damage to apartment.  So they would check a few times a semester to make sure the room's and things were not all torn up.

But if you did get a single without roommates I suppose you could have ran 4-5 110 circuits with miners.  But would not be able to do much as far as managing air to cool them.

[develCuy]

Rather than free electricity, one could get cost efficient electricity. I live close to an industrial zone, so I just need to setup an electricity meter and pay for what is consuming to the landlord, pretty cheap energy!

I don't agree with the other methods that not seem ethical.