Mining rigs consume electricity at rates that rival small industrial operations, turning residential apartments into power-hungry data centers that weren't designed for continuous high-wattage loads. A single mid-range mining setup with six graphics cards pulls roughly 1,500 watts continuously. That constant draw adds up fast when electricity costs average seventeen to eighteen cents per kilowatt-hour in most American cities. What seemed like passive income generation through blockchain validation suddenly becomes a financial liability when monthly utility bills quintuple without warning. Landlords notice these spikes immediately, especially in buildings where they cover utilities or monitor consumption patterns across multiple units for budgeting purposes.