A GoMining Energy Efficiency upgrade can reduce the electricity cost of a Digital Miner — but is it worth paying for today?
GoMining’s Energy Efficiency (EE) frontier has improved rapidly:
20 W/TH → 15 W/TH → 12 W/TH
I expect that trend to continue. But as EE improves, there is another question that matters just as much:
What will future EE upgrades cost — and when should we actually upgrade?
I expect that trend to continue. My projection is:
| Year | Projected EE |
| 2026 | 12 W/TH |
| 2028 | 10 W/TH |
| 2030 | 7 W/TH |
| 2032 | 5 W/TH |
| 2035 | ~3 W/TH |
These are my projections, not GoMining announcements.
But there is another question that matters just as much as future efficiency:
What will EE upgrades cost — and when should we actually upgrade?
Today’s GoMining Energy Efficiency Upgrade Economics
The current EE upgrade price starts at approximately $2.67/TH for each 1 W/TH improvement, according to GoMining’s announcement of its new 12 W/TH efficiency tier.
At an electricity price of $0.05/kWh, every 1 W/TH reduction saves:
$0.438/TH per year
Therefore:
$2.67 ÷ $0.438 = 6.1 years
So today’s EE upgrade has a simple payback period of approximately 6.1 years.
For a 15 W/TH miner upgrading to 12 W/TH:
| 15 -> 12W/TH | |
| Upgrade Cost | $8.01/TH |
| Annual Saving | $1.314/TH |
| Payback | 6.1 Years |
Will GoMining EE Upgrade Prices Fall?
I think they will.
As newer ASIC generations become more efficient, older mining technology should gradually become cheaper. I explored this relationship between ASIC hardware costs and GoMining pricing in my analysis of GoMining’s miner prices
So while the EE frontier should continue moving lower, I expect the price per EE step to decline as well.
For illustration, if EE prices declined by 10% annually:
| Year | Projected Price/Step | Payback |
| 2026 | $2.67 | 6.1 Years |
| 2028 | $2.16 | 4.9 Years |
| 2030 | $1.75 | 4.0 Years |
| 2032 | $1.42 | 3.2 Years |
The 10% decline is a modelling assumption, not a GoMining forecast.
Should I Make a GoMining Energy Efficiency Upgrade From 15 W/TH to 12 W/TH?
No. I would wait.
At today’s price, a GoMining Energy Efficiency upgrade from 15 W/TH to 12 W/TH has a 6.1-year payback. That’s long when the EE frontier itself may move again within the next few years.
My rough thresholds at $0.05/kWh are:
| EE Price Per Step | Payback | My Decision |
| $2.67 | 6.1 Years | Wait |
| $2.16 | 4.9 Years | Consider |
| $1.75 | 4.0 Years | Upgrade |
| $1.42 | 3.2 Years | Strong Upgrade |
Personally, I would target around $1.75/TH per EE step, giving a four-year payback.
If the price doesn’t fall before the next EE generation arrives, I may simply skip 12 W/TH and move directly from 15 W/TH to 10 W/TH.
Conclusion: Price Matters More Than W/TH
ower W/TH is always technically better.
But it isn’t always a better investment.
At $0.05/kWh, every 1 W/TH improvement saves $0.438/TH per year. At today’s $2.67 upgrade price, that means waiting 6.1 years to recover the investment.
For me, that’s too long.
I would wait for the EE price to fall toward $1.75 per step — or skip 12 W/TH entirely if the next generation arrives first.
Disclaimer: Future EE levels and prices are my own projections and modelling assumptions, not GoMining announcements or financial advice.
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