Heated
Driveway System in Illinois Paves the Way to Big Savings
for one Warmzone Customer
When a
Warmzone customer in rural Illinois found he did not
have the resources to heat his entire driveway as
originally planned, Sales Manager, Bryan Morris,
offered a reasonable alternative. “Tire tracks
were a great option in this scenario,” he
explained, “because you can still get a
heated portion that allows you to drive in and out,
without breaking the bank. After consulting with
the customer and our design team, we laid out the
options (verbally and with drawings) before
deciding on a more cost-effective, two-track heated
driveway solution.
Ultimately, heating two tire
tracks (500 sq.ft.), as opposed to heating the entire
1,250 sq.ft. driveway, resulted in a $3,900 cost
savings.”
Another
consideration was the lack of available power.
“To heat an entire driveway would have
required a large number of amps from the home’s
electrical power panel,” Morris stated.
“Most homes only have a 200 amp panel, yet
it takes approximately 180 breaker amps per 1000 square
feet to heat an entire driveway.”
The
two-track radiant heated driveway system required
installation of four Warmzone ClearZone
Snow Melting Mats, a 200-amp Warmzone
Electrical Timer Panel, an Aerial Mounted
Moisture/Temperature Snow
Sensor, a Remote Manual Control Unit and an
NEC Marker Plate. Tire tracks were easily installed by
rolling out the mats like sleeping bags. A
protective asphalt layer was then raked over the
tire track mats (photo 2) before the final surface coat
was applied. “We use an asphalt machine
that straddles the heating element to prevent
damaging the heat cable,” offered Morris.
The
great news is that you don’t have to pour a new
driveway to benefit from a heated
driveway. Warmzone can customize your system
to fit your needs and budget. “On this
project,” said Morris, “the customer
was paving the whole driveway anyway. Some customers
pick other install methods, such as saw cutting,
to achieve their goals.”
Saw cutting
is cutting grooves or paths and inserting the heat cable
in areas where heat is desired. With certain
driveway heating systems, it is also possible to
pave over the mats and create the appearance of a
seamless transaction. “You can cut out the area
you want to heat and then pave only that
area,” Morris added. ClearZone is used under
cement, asphalt and pavers on a regular basis.
Flexible
options make heated driveway solutions a
very popular equity booster for homeowners, and are
becoming a popular home improvement option.
“On average,” Morris stated, “the
overall materials (cable, electrical and auto
sensors) cost $6.00 per sq.ft. for 1000
sq.ft., and the operating cost per 5-hour storm is
$18.00, or $3-4 per hour depending on the state
the heated driveway system is installed in and the
power company’s cost per kilowatt hour.”
While the
initial cost of installing
a radiant heated driveway system may seem
a bit daunting, the benefits of driveway heating are
well worth the initial investment, the most
obvious being convenience. Heated driveways
don’t require shoveling, harmful salt and
chemical applications or expensive snow removal
services. Instead, driveway
heating systems provide a safe,
thorough snow removal solution with
curb appeal, solving snow removal challenges posed
by problematic driveways, steps, and other heavy
traffic areas.
Heated
driveway systems are fully automated, so
they will automatically turn on or off when needed.
“If it snows at 3 a.m.,” Morris
smiled, “our customer will wake up to a
clear driveway. He now has a reliable,
efficient snow removal solution.”