CES 2026 unveils a new "Bitcoin mining" water heater, claiming it can earn $1,000 annually

CES 2026 showcased the Superheat H1, which packs a mining rig into a water heater, claiming it can recover half of its costs in a year. Can any heating device really be turned into a mining machine?
(Background: Is the $60 billion worth of Bitcoin in Venezuela real? SEC Chair responds openly)
(Additional context: Putin: Ceasefire conditions include control of Ukraine’s Donbas region! The US plans to do “cryptocurrency mining” at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant)

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the spotlight was mostly on AI robots and autonomous vehicles, but the real hot topic at the intersection of energy and blockchain was a plain-looking white cylindrical device.

Superheat H1 is priced at $2,000 and is marketed as a household water heater with an embedded ASIC Bitcoin miner. Official explanations state that its heating design incorporates a Bitcoin mining rig, claiming that when Bitcoin price is around $91,000, it can mine about $1,000 worth of Bitcoin annually, offsetting 80% of the “water plus electricity” costs.

Converting the waste heat from mining into hot water and using crypto assets to cover living expenses is not a new concept for appliance companies.

Energy monetization calculation

The operation of this water heater H1 is not complicated. It replaces the traditional electric heating element with a dedicated ASIC chip. The heat generated by high-load mining operations is directly transferred into a 200-liter water tank, providing hot water for the home while continuously mining.

According to Tom’s Hardware, the official marketing emphasizes a “two-year payback” period, which is more attractive compared to traditional energy-saving appliances that often take over five years to amortize.

Similar approaches have been tried before. Bitcoin miner manufacturer Canaan previously launched a 3-megawatt demonstration greenhouse in Canada, using the waste heat from computing power for tomato cultivation, with an energy recovery efficiency of over 90%. Superheat aims to scale this model down to the household level, even envisioning a blueprint where 700 households could generate millions of dollars in additional annual revenue.

Risks behind the payback calculation

However, the device lifecycle and mining difficulty are not aligned, which is a major concern.

ASIC miners are typically replaced by new generations of chips every two to three years, while water heaters are expected to last around ten years. Each difficulty increase reduces mining output, and if Bitcoin prices weaken, the “two-year payback” could instantly extend indefinitely.

What further deters investors is that Superheat has not yet disclosed specific hash rate specifications (Terahash), making precise calculations against the network difficulty impossible.

Another point is that at the federal level in the US, attitudes toward crypto mining and energy independence are notably friendly. High-energy-consuming but economically incentivized devices thus receive political protection.

However, residential electricity still largely comes from coal or natural gas. This “mining water heater” does not change overall emissions. Supporters say it helps distribute energy load, while critics see it as gambling with regional power grids.

The water heater moves beyond simple energy consumption appliances; it involves not just household expenses but also impacts local electricity pricing structures and taxation if adopted on a large scale.