Warmzone Blog

Let’s join the twenty-first century! It’s time to hang up that snow shovel and look into heated driveways, one of the many outdoor heating systems available through Warmzone.

A popular type of heated driveway systems are radiant heating systems. Most heated driveway systems incorporate an automatic sensor that detects inclement weather to activate the system. Electric systems tend to be more efficient, require less maintenance, and heat surfaces quicker. Hydronic systems are usually slightly more expensive to purchase and install, but the operational costs can be lower. Both heated driveway systems have their advantages; however, the electric systems are gaining a lot of interest due to their price, ease of installation, and threatening future of the cost of fuel.

Some of the obvious benefits to this type of outdoor heating systems are not having to shovel your driveway again, avoiding injury due to slippery surfaces, and having the confidence that your driveway will be cleared when you need to use it.

Heated Driveway Tip: You might not realize that you are preserving the life of your paved areas of your property when you install a heated driveway.

Maybe you’ve had it in the back of your mind that, someday, you’d like to upgrade the heating in your home, or at least in some areas of your home. After all, you might have spent all of the winter thus far avoiding your basement, a spare room, or a guest bath because it’s just too cold in those areas to spend very long. You never quite got around to the upgrades, because you might’ve assumed the cost would be too high to be worth it.

The reality is that it’s actually rather cost-effective to add heating to a small area, using a electric radiant heat system. Because electric radiant heat systems are easy to install and have a very low start-up cost, they offer more cost-savings than you might assume. An electric thermostat is all that is required and costs only about $100-$200.

Another advantage of electric radiant floor heating over a warm-water system is the floor build up or height. Floor build up can be from as little as 2mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board or directly onto the subfloor or padding (under carpet or laminate), then the floor covering is placed directly over the heating system or thinset.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: The typically speedy installation time of electric radiant floor heating is worth noting; it generally only takes one half-day to a day depending on thesize of the area in which to install the system.

Is this you? For some homeowners, all they have to hear is “increased comfort and significant cost-efficiency” and they are sold on electric radiant heat for their home heating systems. The increased comfort and significant efficiency benefits aren’t all that’s offered to homeowners who switch heating systems to electric radiant heat over forced air heating.

Among the other significant benefits to electric radiant heat is that, unlike with central heating and air, with radiant heat you can zone different areas of the house to fit your lifestyle. Some of our customers use one thermostat per floor, while others separate bedroom areas and living spaces. We’re happy to help with recommendations based on your project plans or vision.

Many families will enjoy the allergen reducing qualities of electric radiant heat. Radiant Heat reduces dust mites and air borne allergens by 60%-90%. No other heating system reduces allergies as effectively as electric radiant heat.

And no matter the state of the real estate market, there’s always the increased property value aspect to incorporating an electric radiant heat system to your home. Use radiant heating to heat your garage, melt ice from your roof, or melt snow from your driveway. A well-designed installation will add more value to your home than the cost of the package.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Want to learn more? Warmzone.com offers radiant heating solutions for almost any application… and any budget.

Do you take great pride in your lawn and garden in the spring and summer? Outdoor experts would agree that just because it’s wintertime and the grass isn’t green doesn’t mean you should forget about taking care of your landscaping. In the colder months, heating systems are the best option to melt the ice and to protect your landscaping. Heating systems like heated driveways actually do more than just melt snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks.

Heated driveways also help preserve your landscaping while avoiding the use of harmful salt and chemicals. Your landscaper could probably tell you that salt spread over asphalt and sidewalks to melt the ice can do a good bit of damage to lawns and landscape plants. When salt products are spread over streets and walkways, the salt inevitably splashes onto nearby foliage. The sodium chloride burns the plants and gets absorbed by the plants’ root systems.

The unfortunate truth is that alternate “ice-melt” products won’t work as effectively as outdoor heating systems, either. You see, these systems don’t use any harmful chemicals, and they melt the ice so effectively that you don’t have to do any of the work. These heating systems are state of the art but easy to install for any contractor or do-it-yourself expert.
Heating Systems Tip: Snow melting heating systems can be installed in almost any driveway and can be retrofit into existing concrete and asphalt.

Years ago (I won’t say how many), I remember more than a few of my friends made some pocket money following snowstorms by hiring themselves out to shovel snow off driveways and sidewalks in the neighborhood. Sure, it’s not as reliable a part-time job for kids as, say, a paper route, but in a particularly snowy winter, a kid could really make a nice bit of money with a snow shovel.

However, with the arrival of affordable and convenient outdoor heating systems for your driveway, sidewalk, and stoop, those neighborhood kids could lose many customers this coming winter. Heated driveways can take care of the snow and ice without trouble or hard work.

Some of the obvious benefits are, of course, not having to shovel your driveway again, avoiding injury due to slippery surfaces, and having the confidence that your driveway will be cleared when you need to use it. Other notable benefits to an outdoor heating system include adding value to your home, preserving the life of your driveway, and avoiding damage to bordering landscape with harmful salts and chemicals. Lastly, adding a heated driveway to your home or business will add safety and value to your property.

Outdoor Heating Systems Tip: Concrete driveways and asphalt driveways are both suitable for the installation of such outdoor heating systems.

An old friend who lives out of state called the other day and commented that they’ve had nearly three and a half feet of snow so far this winter.  I couldn’t help but think that all that snow and ice storms and cold temperatures aren’t just dangerous for roads and sidewalks, they can do a real number on gutters and roofs, too. 

A great solution to these problems are outdoor heating systems.  They can help prevent the ice from building up and destroying gutters and roofs on your home.  There are numerous systems available to prevent roof and gutter damage; one such system is WarmZone’s RoofHeat system.  When mounted to your roof eaves and/or valleys, the RoofHeat outdoor heating system is designed to eliminate ice and snow in those areas keeping your home or business perimeter safer and reducing the risk of winter roof damage.

RoofHeat receives its heat from one of two sources. A “cut to length” commercial grade, self regulating heat cable can be inserted into custom channels or ⅜ inch radiant PEX tubing from an existing hydronic system. These panels are attached to the roof eaves and valleys to prevent ice and snow build up in those areas.  And, how nice is this?  The RoofHeat outdoor heating system is available in a wide variety of panel colors and textures to complement your roof.

Outdoor Heating Systems Tip:  If you live in a cold region that requires snow removal you should seriously consider a automated snow melting system before you begin construction to assure yourself the best design and performance.