• Electricity: This is the power that runs your mining systems 24/7. It can run up to a substantial bill. When you consider that the process consumes as much electricity as certain countries do, the costs can be pretty high.9 It’s also important to consider the costs to cool the area your mining system is in. They produce a lot of heat while mining—the more you have, the more heat they produce. These rigs need to be cooled, so the air conditioning you need to keep them that way can become very expensive.

• Mining systems: Contrary to the popular narrative, desktop computers and regular gaming systems can be used to mine by joining a mining pool. But the returns are limited because most pools split the rewards based on the amount of work each miner contributes. These systems cannot compete with the ASIC mining machines, but it is possible to come out a few hundred dollars ahead after accounting for the energy used. If you want to be competitive, you’ll need to buy several ASIC miners and join a pool—which can set you back between $4,000 to $12,000 per rig. The faster they can mine, the more you’ll pay.

Over time, the reward for mining Bitcoin is reduced. This reward process continues until there are 21 million bitcoin circulating. Once that number is reached, the bitcoin reward will cease, and Bitcoin miners will be rewarded through fees paid for the work done.

• Mining systems: Contrary to the popular narrative, desktop computers and regular gaming systems can be used to mine by joining a mining pool. But the returns are limited because most pools split the rewards based on the amount of work each miner contributes. These systems cannot compete with the ASIC mining machines, but it is possible to come out a few hundred dollars ahead after accounting for the energy used. If you want to be competitive, you’ll need to buy several ASIC miners and join a pool—which can set you back between $4,000 to $12,000 per rig. The faster they can mine, the more you’ll pay.