[tryptophan]

Fun fact, but CPUs/GPUs/etc are almost 100% efficient at converting electricity to heat, as they don't give off light energy like a heater would, via its glowing coils.

So, theoretically, heating your house with CPUs would be greener than using central heating...

If you live in a cold area, a home server's heat wouldn't be wasted, in fact it would theoretically lower your heating bill(by .01% or less, but hey!) as less electricity would be used on the less efficient heater.

[tzs]

But wait...what happens to that small amount of energy that a heating coil gives off as light? I'd expect that most of those photons end up getting absorbed by something somewhere else in the room, and ultimately the energy still ends up as heat.

[LargoLasskhyfv]

There is a french company that does this in some variations:

[1] https://www.qarnot.com/

[leifmetcalf]

Heat pumps are more than 100% efficient