A mining start plan records what a team intends to run, what it will cost, who is responsible, and when assumptions should be reviewed. Before purchasing ASIC miners or signing a hosting agreement, put these decisions in a shared document that the team can update as actual operating data becomes available.

For a small team, the plan can be short. Include an operating objective, hardware and power requirements, startup and recurring costs, earnings scenarios, pool settings, a commissioning checklist, and assigned responsibilities. This guide focuses on Bitcoin ASIC mining.

Define the operating objective

Start with the purpose and scale of the operation. Record:

• Coin and algorithm: Bitcoin / SHA-256
• Planned number and model of ASIC miners
• Site type: self-hosted or third-party hosted
• Primary objective, such as BTC accumulation, operational learning, heat reuse, or commercial operation
• Target start date and first review date
• Maximum startup budget and available operating cash

Use this objective to assess later decisions. For example, a learning project may begin with one miner, while a commercial operation needs a clearer view of recurring costs and the conditions under which it will continue operating.

Document hardware and power assumptions

For each miner model, record the quantity, rated hashrate in TH/s, wall-plug power in W or kW, and rated energy efficiency in J/TH. Include cooling type, operating-temperature range, noise specification, supply voltage, connectors, and confirmed site capacity.

Energy efficiency in J/TH equals power in watts divided by hashrate in TH/s. Canaan lists the Avalon Miner A15-200T at 200 TH/s, 3,760 W at the wall, and 18.8 J/TH: 3,760 ÷ 200 = 18.8. These are rated specifications for an example, rather than a hardware recommendation. The manufacturer also lists tolerances, so use its full specifications when planning site capacity. Canaan product specifications

Keep rated and measured values separate. Measured efficiency can be calculated when power and hashrate cover the same equipment, operating conditions, and measurement period. Dividing a whole-site electricity bill by an unrelated pool hashrate snapshot will not produce a comparable miner-efficiency figure.

Record additional cooling and networking loads separately where applicable. Confirm that the site can support the planned equipment before energizing it.

Separate startup spending from recurring costs

The startup budget should itemize equipment, delivery, applicable import charges, installation, and initial spares. Record available operating cash separately so the team knows how early invoices will be covered.

For recurring costs, include:

• Electricity rate and expected powered hours
• Hosting charges and what they include
• Demand charges or other site and utility fees, where applicable
• Separately billed cooling and networking costs
• Repairs and replacement parts
• Pool fees, only when the earnings estimate has not already deducted them

Check the hosting contract before adding electricity costs. If electricity is included in the hosting charge, adding it again would double count the expense. Likewise, count additional site loads only when they are outside the miner's wall-plug consumption and have not already been included elsewhere.

For a constant power draw and flat electricity rate:

Electricity cost = power draw (kW) × powered hours × electricity rate (currency/kWh)

At its rated 3.760 kW, one A15-200T running at full power for 24 hours would consume 90.24 kWh. At an illustrative $0.10/kWh, that costs $9.024, or approximately $9.02 for the day. This example covers the miner's electricity only. Enter measured consumption and contracted charges when available.

Powered time and productive mining time may differ: a miner can consume electricity while disconnected from the pool. Reflect that distinction when estimating both costs and earnings.

Build earnings and operating-result scenarios

A useful starting point is a base case, a downside case, and an upside case. For each, record the assumed hashrate, productive operating time, network difficulty, transaction-fee income, pool method, and BTC price.

Difficulty adjusts every 2,016 blocks. Estimated network hashrate can change between adjustments; it does not follow the same fixed update cycle. Record the date and measurement window of any network data used in the plan. Bitcoin Developer Guide

Keep three outputs separate:

1. Estimated BTC earnings: the expected BTC amount for the period, with the treatment of pool fees stated.
2. Fiat value: estimated BTC earnings multiplied by the assumed BTC price.
3. Operating surplus or deficit: that fiat value less recurring costs for the same period, without deducting pool fees twice.

BTC price alone does not change the amount of BTC mined. It changes the fiat value of those earnings. An operating surplus also does not mean the initial equipment investment has been recovered, and BTC retained by the team is not cash available to pay a fiat invoice until converted.

A downside case might combine higher difficulty, lower BTC price, and less productive operating time. State those assumptions explicitly so the team can see what drives the result.

When using a pool calculator, record its inputs and method. ViaBTC describes its BTC PPS+ calculator output as a theoretical daily yield using the selected difficulty and the previous day's average transaction fees. Actual results can differ. Keep the subsidy and transaction-fee components identifiable rather than treating a recent total as a stable daily amount. ViaBTC calculation documentation

Record pool rewards and withdrawal settings

The plan should distinguish how rewards are earned and credited from how balances are withdrawn to a wallet.

For ViaBTC BTC PPS+, the subsidy component uses PPS with a listed 4% fee, while transaction-fee income uses PPLNS with a listed 2% fee. PPS reduces exposure to pool block-finding luck for the subsidy component, but daily BTC earnings still depend on contributed work and difficulty. The transaction-fee component also depends on transaction fees, pool luck, and the miner's contribution.

For ViaBTC BTC PPLNS, the subsidy and transaction fees use PPLNS with a listed 2% fee. ViaBTC describes allocation using the miner's share of pool hashrate over the last five difficulty rounds once a block reaches six confirmations. Its PPS component is credited hourly based on current difficulty. These are pool reward rules, not a wallet-withdrawal schedule. ViaBTC reward rules

Record the selected withdrawal method, destination address, applicable minimum, schedule, and fees from current official documentation and account settings. ViaBTC lists several withdrawal and transfer options with different conditions. ViaBTC BTC mining and withdrawal overview

Use share terminology precisely. A share demonstrates work meeting the pool's easier target; most shares do not meet Bitcoin's network target. Occasionally, a share also meets the network target and can correspond to a valid block. Bitcoin mining guide

Use a commissioning checklist

Before treating the equipment as operational:

1. Confirm that the ASIC supports the intended algorithm.
2. Confirm electrical capacity, connections, and cooling readiness.
3. Set up the pool account and enable two-factor authentication.
4. Assign worker names that follow the pool's format.
5. Copy the current mining URL and port from official documentation.
6. Configure supported backup connections.
7. Confirm workers appear under the intended account.
8. Check device hashrate, pool-estimated hashrate, accepted and rejected shares, temperatures, and power as separate measurements.
9. Verify the payout address and withdrawal settings.

ViaBTC documents worker names as userID.workerID, with worker IDs containing lowercase letters and numbers within 64 characters. For example, userID.site1row2unit3 can encode a location without hyphens. Its setup guide recommends configuring multiple ports for failover and suggests checking operation status after around 10–15 minutes of stable running. ViaBTC setup guide

Assign owners and review triggers

Assign a named person to each area; one person may cover more than one:

• Operations: hardware, cooling, connectivity, and repairs
• Finance: invoices, BTC receipts, cost records, and scenario updates
• Account and custody: access, authentication, and payout-address management

For multiple sites or groups, ViaBTC sub-accounts can display hashrate and mining income separately. They may help organize records, but the team should still decide who owns each responsibility. ViaBTC sub-account guide

Set a review date and practical triggers for earlier checks, such as:

• A persistent hashrate discrepancy after comparing equivalent time windows
• A rising or persistent pattern of rejected shares
• Sustained temperature alarms or fan faults
• Changes in electricity prices or hosting terms
• Difficulty or BTC-price changes that materially alter the scenarios
• A planned firmware or configuration change

For firmware, manufacturer releases are a straightforward default. Verify the source and compatibility before installation, and restrict who can change miner settings.

A simple mining start plan template

Use this table as the front page of the shared document, with supporting calculations linked beneath it.

Section	What to record
Objective	Purpose, scale, site, target start date
Equipment and power	Models, quantities, rated specifications, site capacity
Startup budget	Itemized startup spending and available operating cash
Recurring costs	Electricity, hosting inclusions, other operating expenses
Scenarios	Assumptions, BTC earnings, fiat value, operating surplus or deficit for one consistent period
Pool and withdrawals	Reward method, fees, credit timing, address, withdrawal conditions
Commissioning	Checklist status and unresolved setup items
Responsibilities	Named owners for operations, finance, and account/custody
Review	Next review date and triggers for earlier action

For each important assumption, add its source, date, and responsible person. After commissioning, replace estimates with observed values where possible and keep a record of material changes.

FAQ

What is the difference between a mining start plan and a profitability forecast?

A start plan covers equipment, costs, setup, responsibilities, and review decisions. A profitability forecast can be part of it, with scenarios showing how results change under different assumptions.

How often should the plan be updated?

Use the team's chosen review dates and update sooner when operating conditions or scenario results change materially. Record the date and period of the data used.

Does PPS+ guarantee a fixed daily BTC income?

No. The PPS subsidy component depends on contributed work and difficulty. Under ViaBTC PPS+, the transaction-fee component uses PPLNS and also varies with fee income and pool luck.

Does the team need a fixed rejection-rate threshold?

A team can set an investigation threshold using its operating baseline and relevant pool or hardware guidance. A rising or persistent rejection pattern is a reason to investigate; no single percentage should be presented as suitable for every setup.