An unlikely solution to paying for heating bills during the winter arrives today – let a company run its servers out of your living room.
Not a PR stunt but a genuine offer, Cloud&Heat seeks a mutually beneficial relationship with homeowners, whereby you house their servers for free but bask in their warmth.
Servers produce a staggering amount of heat, with Google technicians' uniform typically consisting of t-shirt and shorts.
Customers have to pay to have a fire-proof cabinet for the server installed (costing roughly the same as a standard heating system), but the Germany company will pay for the electricity and internet to keep it running.
The server will produce heat and hot water, has a "buffering tank" for when you don't immediately need it and during the summer months can push the heat outside through a vent.
Security might strike you as a concern, but Cloud&Heat says all of the data housed in the servers is encrypted and the cabinets can only be opened by employees anyway.
While not a particularly aesthetically pleasing alternative to central heating, it's good to see excess energy being put to good use.
