Domestic datacentres: how computer power can help heat your home

As energy bills are set to increase next month, innovative methods for heating homes and saving money have emerged. One such solution comes from Giles Gibson, whose hot tap water is no longer heated by gas but instead by a tiny datacentre attached to his water tank in London. The compact computer server generates heat, which is efficiently transferred without releasing it into the air, a common issue with large datacentre operations.

Gibson estimates a reduction of £10 to £15 per month in his hot water bills since the system was installed last year. Heata, a Surrey-based company, offers a similar solution, deploying its compact servers in homes to harness waste heat. Commercial director Charlie Beharrell explains that their devices have the processing power equivalent to about eight laptops and can supply around 80% of a home's hot water heating needs.

The system is compatible with vented, unpressurised water cylinders, which have blue insulation, and can also work with heat pumps, although it's not suitable for homes with combi boilers. Heata operates a sustainable cloud computing business, sending processing jobs to customers' homes. The company pays for the electricity consumed by the server, while homeowners cover the fibre broadband connection.

Heata currently operates in 100 homes and has a waiting list of 3,000 potential customers. In another project in Essex, two households are testing a mini datacentre containing nearly 500 matchbox-sized computers. These computers, housed within HeatHub units made by thermify, generate heat that warms mineral oil, which in turn heats water for the home's radiators.

The company claims that their systems could lead to a 14% reduction in bill costs for homes with gas boilers and a 34% reduction for those with heat pumps over a 15-year period, with the monthly cost including installation, maintenance, and a 10-year contract.