Bitcoin Mining Wasteful? Christmas Lights Use More Energy Than Some Countries Bitcoin Mi…

Think mining bitcoin is a waste of energy? Then you better ignore the energy consumption of US Christmas lights every year, which uses more electricity than some countries. 

Energy Consumption of US Christmas Lights

‘Tis the season to be jolly. The time of year when family and friends get together, children play, carolers sing, and consumerism hits a feverish height. Hoards of people spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need, with the average American getting through almost $1,000 over the holidays. Oh, and the energy consumption of US Christmas lights is greater than that of entire countries.

That’s right. The sparkling lights that American consumers willfully sprinkle over their rooftops and yards in a bid to out-do their neighbors make up an astounding 6.63 billion kilowatt hours of electricity consumption each year.

Let’s give you some context. That’s more than the entire national energy consumption of many developing countries every year. That…