Heated Driveways and Sidewalks

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
A person I know has these luxuries, but she is in a family that runs a local home heating fuel business, so they have money. For the few times a year I'd use it, the initial cost seems prohibitive and well as the electricity using it.

Most homeowners spending between $7,000 and $16,000 for a standard two-car driveway (approx. 576 sq. ft.). Costs vary by system type (electric vs. hydronic), with total, professional installation usually ranging from $3,500 for small, simple projects up to $24,000+ for large, complex installations. Costs may increase with the addition of automatic sensors ($500–$3,500) and the removal of the old driveway ($1–$2 per square foot). Expect an increase in electricity bills, often ranging from $100 to $650 per year, depending on usage and climate.
 

While I do not have a heated driveway, there are some newer built homes in my area that have them.

I do have an electric heated slab in my garage 16' x 23'. I think the system i bought was for 300sq ft and I self installed prior to the slab being poured. There is a thermo sensor in the slab. I keep it set to 5.5*C from Friday evening till Early Monday morning (TOU = Time Of Use) cheaper electrical rate.
I do not notice a big difference on my bill from summer to winter. At the time it cost me under 1G and I think well worth having it installed.
 
Living in the foothills of mountains, no one here has a level lot. And we can get quite a bit of snow - just under 18" Sunday alone!
Some driveways are quite steep, so a few people (especially healthcare and municipal workers) choose to heat their driveways.
::🤷::
It doesn't affect me one way or another.
If they can afford it, why not?
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Just why? Why not just insulate a garage and have a heater or Woodstove?
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I believe it's referring to the parts of the driveway or sidewalk that a person would have to shovel.

I had a job once that employee parking was down about 20 steps from the building. They had heated steps so that they were always clear of snow and ice even in the nastiest of weather.

For the price I'd be more inclined to get a lawn tractor or an atv with a blade.
 
Flarbalard said:
I believe it's referring to the parts of the driveway or sidewalk that a person would have to shovel.

I had a job once that employee parking was down about 20 steps from the building. They had heated steps so that they were always clear of snow and ice even in the nastiest of weather.

For the price I'd be more inclined to get a lawn tractor or an atv with a blade.
Click to expand...
Ahhh. Right! We have an atv with a blade and a snow blower. Together they get the job done.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Just why? Why not just insulate a garage and have a heater or Woodstove?
Click to expand...

My brother was finally able to start to build his workshop two years ago. He is doing nearly all the work himself. He put in a heated floor. He lives in NE Ohio and is privvy to Lake Effect weather.

He said he’s waited for years for this workshop and he wants to be comfortable those times he’s crawling around, under one of the vehicles.

He is a plumber by trade and is often outside in inclement weather, repairing other people’s problems. IMHO, he’s earned the right to that heated cement floor that he put in himself😇😇😇😇
 
debodun said:
A person I know has these luxuries, but she is in a family that runs a local home heating fuel business, so they have money. For the few times a year I'd use it, the initial cost seems prohibitive and well as the electricity using it.

Most homeowners spending between $7,000 and $16,000 for a standard two-car driveway (approx. 576 sq. ft.). Costs vary by system type (electric vs. hydronic), with total, professional installation usually ranging from $3,500 for small, simple projects up to $24,000+ for large, complex installations. Costs may increase with the addition of automatic sensors ($500–$3,500) and the removal of the old driveway ($1–$2 per square foot). Expect an increase in electricity bills, often ranging from $100 to $650 per year, depending on usage and climate.
Click to expand...
On the bright side.
Sounds like rather than hoarding money they spend it in the community where they live
 
That Lady in PA said:
Living in the foothills of mountains, no one here has a level lot. And we can get quite a bit of snow - just under 18" Sunday alone!
Some driveways are quite steep, so a few people (especially healthcare and municipal workers) choose to heat their driveways.
::🤷::
It doesn't affect me one way or another.
If they can afford it, why not?
Click to expand...
good point - now for sloping driveways and the fall of snow then serious accidents can happen and hospital bills ensue?
 
Imogene said:
My brother was finally able to start to build his workshop two years ago. He is doing nearly all the work himself. He put in a heated floor. He lives in NE Ohio and is privvy to Lake Effect weather.

He said he’s waited for years for this workshop and he wants to be comfortable those times he’s crawling around, under one of the vehicles.

He is a plumber by trade and is often outside in inclement weather, repairing other people’s problems. IMHO, he’s earned the right to that heated cement floor that he put in himself😇😇😇😇
Click to expand...
My husband uses thick foam Matt’s when working on the car in his garage. Working on the car isn’t something’s he does a lot of . He charges the oil, changes the tires etc. and says the floor isn’t that cold. The garage is well insulated and there’s a heater which warms up the entire garage.
 
Heated driveways and walks are common here in Sun Valley. I regret not having heated front steps when I replaced the pavers a few years ago. It's a both a safety and connivence issue. Think about moving an average of 250" of snow a year. Either melt it, hire someone to shovel it, or do it yourself. Shoveling hurts my back, falls on slippery surfaces are dangerous, and there's always the threat of a heart attack.

When I have elderly guests in winter I have them pull into the garage and come upstairs inside the house to avoid all the risk.
 
againstthegrain said:
Heated driveways and walks are common here in Sun Valley. I regret not having heated front steps when I replaced the pavers a few years ago. It's a both a safety and connivence issue. Think about moving an average of 250" of snow a year. Either melt it, hire someone to shovel it, or do it yourself. Shoveling hurts my back, falls on slippery surfaces are dangerous, and there's always the threat of a heart attack.

When I have elderly guests in winter I have them pull into the garage and come upstairs inside the house to avoid all the risk.
Click to expand...
fair enough - the was a fairy her name was nuff - fair enough!!
 
againstthegrain said:
Heated driveways and walks are common here in Sun Valley. I regret not having heated front steps when I replaced the pavers a few years ago. It's a both a safety and connivence issue. Think about moving an average of 250" of snow a year. Either melt it, hire someone to shovel it, or do it yourself. Shoveling hurts my back, falls on slippery surfaces are dangerous, and there's always the threat of a heart attack.

When I have elderly guests in winter I have them pull into the garage and come upstairs inside the house to avoid all the risk.
Click to expand...

You are in Idaho you need heated everything, including the door to the mailbox🥶🥶.

I was wishing my 500’ gravel drive on an incline was heated a few days ago, when I had to back the Saturn to the driveway gate to make run #3 for the house at the top. Too late to take the tractor to the barn when I realized everything was a sheet of ice.

I tip my hat in a huge way to all of you folks living on the northern tier.😇😇

My first thought always goes to the ranchers because I see eye popping pictures on the horse forum of both cattle and horses with their eyelashes & nose hairs froze solid. Someone has to be out there feeding & watering them.

Below the Mason-Dixon Line, there are some beef cows calving outside because generally our winters are not so bad for the newborns. They may not survive in this brutal, ongoing cold we are currently experiencing. Not only a tragic loss of life but finances for the owners.

My first 50 years of life was on the OH/PA border and my arthritis told me it would not be happy feeding horses in THAT miserably damp-cold-to-the-bone after retirement 🥶🥶

Sorry for the rant, but as mom used to say, I had to “put the shoe on the other foot” for people who have trouble visualizing life further than their own corner of the world.

Be safe up there in Idaho, the surrounding states and Canada🙏🙏
 
In Center City many of the older buildings have heated sidewalks.

The area under the sidewalks was built out to provide storage and often had a sidewalk elevator. The heat from the buildings boiler system provided heat to the ‘vaults’ and that in turn melted the snow above.

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I can’t imagine having a heated driveway that would have dedicated wiring and piping to provide heat but some upscale homes have heated marble or tile floors that rely on such a system.

I suppose that nothing is out of reach for some people but I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on that level of luxury.
 

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