Heating is a major expense in household budgets. As winter approaches, it’s important to ask whether the solution you’ve used in the past is still the right fit for your home’s layout and the needs of its occupants. What if, this year, you considered an innovative approach by incorporating Bitcoin mining into your energy calculations? Come discover the Pool des Chauffagistes, a French community initiative that’s 100% “grassroots.”
The Fundamentals of Bitcoin: Decentralized Security and Proof of Work
To fully understand Bitcoin mining, we need to go back to the basics. Conceived by Satoshi Nakamoto, the security of the network relies on a delicate balance among three stakeholders, enabling the distribution of power and ensuring the integrity of the network.
In this relationship, the miner plays an essential role since they create the blocks. To counterbalance this power, nodes verify and validate transactions and blocks, rejecting incorrect or fraudulent blocks. Finally, Bitcoin network users are the last link in the chain, as they have the power to choose which blockchain to use.
This balance creates a situation in which every participant in the network has an incentive to act responsibly in order to protect both their own interests and those of other participants.
Finally, Proof of Work (PoW) represents the physical link between the real world and Bitcoin. This link ensures that participation in the network and the validation of transactions require an investment in tangible resources. Thus, the production and validation of blocks incur a real energy cost, preventing the network from being monopolized by entities that could take control without any significant barriers to entry.
Writing Bitcoin’s history into its public ledger: blockchain immutability and the puzzle analogy
The mining process therefore consists of solving a kind of digital puzzle—a hash that is valid and acceptable to the Bitcoin network (defined according to criteria established by the protocol). The first miner to solve this puzzle submits their solution to the entire network, which can verify the validity of the work performed. The block is then validated and added to Bitcoin’s ledger (the blockchain). The miner then receives a reward in BTC to recognize the work performed and offset the costs incurred in the process.
To solve this puzzle, miners must solve a very difficult mathematical problem. This problem involves finding a magic number called a “nonce” that, when combined with the block’s data, produces a specific result called a “hash.” Thus, all network participants are constantly performing calculations in an attempt to find this answer.
Although it is possible to find this hash manually, the complexity of the operation makes this option impractical. This computational power is therefore provided by machines capable of performing calculations rapidly.
Pool mining: joining forces to increase your chances
Since there is no “smart” method for finding the hash, you must try as many possibilities as possible every second, and it is this capacity that increases your chances of winning a block in Bitcoin’s massive lottery.
This power is measured by the number of hashes calculated per second. This means that for 1 kH/s, you have a computing power of 1,000 hashes per second. You are therefore attempting 1,000 puzzle solutions every second.
A small, isolated mining machine competing against computing giants thus sees its chances of success reduced to a negligible level. This is why it makes sense to pool the computing resources of smaller miners within a mining pool. By doing so, miners in the pool can find blocks more frequently and distribute rewards fairly based on each member’s contribution.
The Convergence Between the Attakai Project and the Democratization of Home Mining
As mentioned earlier, connecting Bitcoin to the physical world requires computational power backed by energy. The computers used in mining are highly energy-intensive and consume a significant amount of electricity.
This consumption is due to the electrical resistance of the components; the energy flowing through them is partially lost and generates heat—a phenomenon known as the “Joule effect.” It is based on this observation that the Attakai principle (which means “the ideal temperature” in Japanese) comes into play.
The idea is to utilize mining machines for a dual purpose, leveraging both their primary function of securing the Bitcoin network and their potential to generate heat.
To better understand the value of this approach, we need to examine the relationship between energy and heat production in an electrical system. For every 1 kW of electrical energy consumed, an electric radiator—just like a Bitcoin miner—produces 1 kW of heat.
The difference lies in the fact that a miner distributes heat continuously and evenly throughout a room (unlike older radiators) and, in addition, allows its user to support the Bitcoin network and acquire a potentially winning lottery ticket, thereby earning BTC.
The Heaters’ Pool
Now that you’ve grasped the basics of Bitcoin mining, you’re finally ready to discover the focus of this article: the Heaters’ Pool!
This project originated on a community server on Discord, a chat platform that has undergone a significant evolution: initially dedicated to the Pi Network, it has gradually shifted its focus to Bitcoin under the guidance of its creator, Fulcran.
A few setups at Chauffagistes. pic.twitter.com/j9Afgqe8kx
— Chauffagistes Pool (@Chauff_pool) September 26, 2025
With nearly 656 members at the time of writing, this discussion group aims to help its members develop their knowledge of Bitcoin. This shared interest brings together people from all walks of life: DIY enthusiasts, investors, activists, tech enthusiasts…
For many, especially among the earliest members, it was discovering the educational videos published by Fulcran on YouTube that served as their gateway into the world of Bitcoin. As Hugo explains, “Fulcran showed just how accessible and practical Bitcoin really is.”
Then, on April 28, 2025, the Chauffagistes pool was born: a free “Bitcoin Pleb” mining initiative aimed at harnessing waste heat and pooling expertise.
A Spirit of Learning and Discovery
This spirit of education championed by Fulcran is also what sets this pool apart from others—namely, its unique ability to make an activity often perceived as abstract concrete, useful, and shareable.
This forum is a collaborative space that functions as an incubator, allowing its members to experiment, learn, and grow together. These enthusiasts are driven by a shared curiosity and a common desire to innovate.
The spirit of this community is at once welcoming, technical, and committed. It values resourcefulness, sharing, and local impact.
Tynaoned
A computer science enthusiast, Hugo is one of the project’s founders and oversees the development of the website as well as the management of the dashboard that displays the community pool’s metrics.
He explains that the true strength of this group lies in its diverse membership:
New members join almost every day, each with their own way of repurposing the heat generated by their miners. Some are true experts, others are just starting out, but everyone shares their knowledge. It’s a vibrant, supportive, and passionate community, where everyone lifts each other up.
Hugo
We saw this firsthand during our interviews, as we spoke with a landscape architect, students, an engineer, and workers… from France, Belgium, Burundi, and Guadeloupe!
The more the pool grows, the more serious it becomes. Sometimes it makes me smile: at the start, we were just a bunch of enthusiasts who wanted to heat their living rooms by mining.
ItRider
How the Chauffagistes Pool Works in Practice
All information on how the pool operates is freely available on the project’s official website. As for the software components developed in-house, they are published as open source on GitHub, ensuring complete transparency.
The pool relies on a node hosted in the Île-de-France region and benefits from redundancy at a second local geographic site.
There are therefore three options for mining within the Chauffagistes pool:
- “Pure solo mining” – This allows miners who don’t want to maintain a node to connect to the Chauffagistes node; you mine on your own, and 100% of the rewards are yours if you’re successful;
- “Collaborative private mining”—This allows miners who do not wish to maintain a node to connect to the Chauffagistes’ node; you mine with your friends in a private group and split the rewards as you see fit;
- “Pool Mining” – You pool your computing power with other miners in the pool, and rewards are distributed based on the sum of the difficulty of your shares over the last 14 days before the block is found. Rewards are sent to a multi-signature wallet held by multiple members. All keys are stored on hardware wallets.
When you join the pool, you can enter the Bitcoin address you use to submit your shares and access a detailed dashboard. This dashboard lets you view all kinds of statistics about your mining rigs: hashrate, shares, etc…
Today, about 75 devices are connected to the mining pool, representing roughly twenty miners, and every day new curious people join the Discord to bolster the ranks.
It’s also worth noting that the pool doesn’t charge any fees and operates thanks to community donations and the volunteer efforts of its members.
This isn’t a commercial pool—it’s a collective lab where energy efficiency and the joy of mining come first! In large mining pools, the person with a very powerful miner who submits a lot of invalid shares wins. But here, what matters is having fewer shares—but valid ones.
Mvg
In addition, starting recently, each month the best share of the month is rewarded with various gifts donated by members. For example, in November, a NerdNOS kit was donated by Silexperience, along with a pack of IPA beers from Drink Bob.
A share is a unit used to measure each miner’s contribution within the pool. Specifically, it is a hash of the target block that achieves a lower difficulty than the actual difficulty required by the Bitcoin network. Shares thus serve as proof that the miner is working, even if the hash produced is not sufficient to find a valid block.
A catalyst for innovation and ingenuity
A few years ago, home mining was still a small-scale, experimental endeavor. In 2022, a single person was producing Bitax prototypes, often cobbled together in Tupperware plastic containers, explains Silexperience.
It’s always such a source of pride to receive photos from miners connected to the pool
To connect—whether to mine solo or together with our members—click here: https://t.co/LdX1ARDV5Z pic.twitter.com/VaZDn6FYKx
— Chauffagistes Pool (@Chauff_pool) August 14, 2025
In fact, the latter was the first in Europe to manufacture this type of miner. As ProfScofield confirms, the arrival of pre-assembled Bitaxes—available notably at BitcoinBazar and offered by Silexperience—has made the technical approach much more accessible. He explains that it is now possible to quickly learn the basics of mining without the risk of becoming discouraged.
Furthermore, the initial investment, while not insignificant, is now within everyone’s reach. As Evan explains, “the cost of a turnkey machine, including modifications to reduce noise and recover heat, remains reasonable compared to a conventional heating system.”
Furthermore, technical challenges are minimized thanks to an abundance of online tutorials—particularly on Plan B Academy—and active communities that are always ready to share their advice and experience.
Silexperience also offers technical support to Bitaxes users participating in the mining pool. This is a rather useful helping hand, Fulcran points out, allowing everyone to make progress with peace of mind, even when faced with technical challenges.
Thanks to a significant reduction in these technical and financial barriers, it is now easier to embrace the dual benefits of mining and to create setups tailored to one’s own needs.
Within the group, several innovative initiatives caught our attention. One such example is Bob, a brewer who accepts only Bitcoin as payment and wants to heat his brewing tanks using the heat generated by his mining rigs.
His experiment has already reduced energy costs for 8 households and 3 businesses that had solar panels and are using the energy generated to power their miners. He reports that these businesses have doubled the value of their output. He also plans to use this waste heat to heat greenhouses in the near future.
Finally, bricobtc explains that he wants to use the heat from his mining rigs to dry his fruits and herbs. This new application would allow him to run three things simultaneously: heating, the Bitcoin lottery, and a dehydrator. It’s a more profitable use of his savings than what he used to squander on scratch-off tickets, he tells us.
Most miners will simply place their mining rigs in the rooms they want to heat. But there’s no shortage of discussion, and ideas are flying on the chat channel dedicated to heating enthusiasts—here’s some inspiration for your next supplemental heating system.
Conclusion
This democratization allows mining to serve as a tool for education and a testing ground for experimentation. It’s a way to reconcile technology with frugality, to create value while meeting real needs.
I love my Nano3S for its heating capabilities. It’s very practical, and it’s also helped me get my wife to accept mining. The heating feature adds a practical element. Rather than running a heating element with no other benefits, it makes sense to do it while mining.
Raph
Thus, in the Pool des Chauffagistes, mining is not viewed as an end in itself, but as a means to produce useful heat, bring together expertise, and document replicable solutions, explains Tynaoned.
This project brings people together “around the values of transparency, autonomy, and technological simplicity, while opening up avenues for local, educational, and energy-related applications.”
