Thread by @csuwildcat

The entire Bitcoin network uses 4x less energy than clothes dryers. Here are the numbers for *just the US*:

- 130M US households
- Avg household uses 12,000 KWh/yr (EPA)
- Dryers are 6% of household energy use (EPA) = 720 KWh/yr
- 720 KWh * 130M = 93.6 TWh
- Bitcoin uses ~90 TWh

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1392602041025843203

Clothes dryers are a *pure waste activity* — unlike securing the labor value of hundreds of millions of people, as Bitcoin does for 1/4 of the energy — because clothes dryers can be almost entirely replaced by simply <checks notes> waiting longer for evaporation to do it for free

Even though Bitcoin does a far more important job for 1/4 of the energy, you don't see disingenuous hypocrites clamoring to Save The Planet™ by simply hanging up their clothes and waiting a bit longer - they wouldn't dare subject themselves to the indignity of mild inconvenience

Also consider the energy consumed by laptops, phone chargers, and other devices *when they are on standby already fully charged*: this 'vampire draw' is pure waste that consumes ~250 KWh per household annually, and across all households that's more than the entire Bitcoin network

But electricity != emissions:

- Electricity = 27% of emissions
- Bitcoin uses ~0.55% of electricity
- Bitcoin uses 3x more green energy than grid-avg
- Unadjusted for green mix, Bitcoin = 0.15% of emissions, but w/ green mix adjustment (0.15% / 3) it's just 0.05% of emissions

Also, remember electricity != emissions:

Electricity = 27% of emissions

Bitcoin uses 0.55% of electricity

Bitcoin uses a 3x greener electricity mix than grid-avg

Unadjusted for green mix, Bitcoin = 0.15% of emissions, but adjusting for green mix (0.15% / 3), it's just 0.05%

In conclusion: Bitcoin uses 0.55% of electricity, ~50% of which is green energy, while emitting just 0.05% of emissions. The vast majority of electricity Bitcoin uses is overflow that can't be utilized by anything besides a collocated buyer-of-last-resort, else it would be wasted