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Cryptocurrency footprint calculator

Proof-of-work cryptocurrency is made by running computers until a block is found. Enter how many coins you mined or hold and the calculator returns the network energy behind them, the emissions on a chosen grid, and how much refined metal could be produced with the same energy.

Bitcoin issues coins with computer work. Ethereum moved to proof of stake in 2022 and uses several orders of magnitude less electricity.

Network energy behind your coins
1,050,000
Carbon dioxide equivalent
504,000
Refined metal that could be made with the same energy
60,967.7
Energy per coin (kWh)
1,050,000
What this means
1 bitcoin coin carry about 1050000 kWh of network electricity. On the global average grid (0.48 kg co2e/kwh) that is 504000 kg CO2e. The metal comparison asks how much copper primary production the same energy could have driven.

Estimates for information only. Not financial, medical, legal or engineering advice. See the Terms.

Energy behind the entered coins and the equivalent metal
ResourceQuantityEnergy (kWh)
Bitcoin1.01,050,000.0
Copper (kg)60,967.71,050,000.0

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How this calculator works

A Bitcoin block is found by trial and error, and the whole network keeps guessing until someone succeeds. Dividing the network annual electricity use by the number of coins issued in the year gives an average energy per coin: roughly 1,050 megawatt-hours for one bitcoin at recent levels. Ethereum changed from proof of work to proof of stake in September 2022, which cut its electricity use by about 99.95 percent, so a coin issued after that date carries only a few thousand kilowatt-hours of network energy. The calculator multiplies the per-coin figure by your quantity, then applies a grid carbon intensity. The result is the energy the network ran on your behalf, not the energy your own wallet or exchange used.

Formula

energy (kWh) = coins x energy per coin. CO2e = energy x grid intensity in kg CO2e per kWh. metal equivalent (kg) = energy x 3.6 MJ per kWh / primary energy demand of the metal in MJ per kg.

Worked example

One bitcoin at 1,050,000 kWh on the global average grid of 0.48 kg CO2e/kWh gives 504,000 kg CO2e, or about 504 tonnes. The same 1,050,000 kWh is 3,780 gigajoules, which would refine about 61 tonnes of copper at 62 gigajoules per tonne, or about 17.7 kg of gold at 214,000 megajoules per kilogram.

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Frequently asked questions

Is one transaction the same as one coin?

No. A transaction moves value but does not create a coin, and many transactions share a block. This calculator works per coin issued, which is a better match for network energy than a per-transaction figure. Divide the per-coin energy by the number of transactions per block for a transaction estimate.

Why is Ethereum so much lower than Bitcoin?

Ethereum replaced competitive guessing with proof of stake, where validators are chosen in proportion to their stake. The network no longer pays for billions of hash attempts, so its electricity use fell by about 99.95 percent. Bitcoin still depends on proof of work.

Does the grid make a difference?

A large one. The same mining rig on Quebec hydroelectricity produces a small fraction of the emissions of the same rig on a coal-heavy grid. The national averages here are a starting point; a miner should use the marginal emission factor of its own supply.

Are the metal figures comparable?

They compare energy only, not carbon or water. Gold production also involves cyanide and large land disturbance, so the energy comparison understates its total impact. Use the figures as a scale check, not as a claim that the two activities are equivalent.

Sources

Written byAmira MansourCalculator writer. Builds and tests Mathulate calculators against published sources.
Reviewed byMarc LefebvreMathematics teacher. Checks each formula and worked example by hand.

Last updated .

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