It’s winter time again. A copious amount of snow has piled up on your driveway. Your entire driveway is clouded in a sea of white.
Do you grab a shovel and begin hacking at the snow? Or do you begin to rationalize the cost of a heated driveway?
A heated driveway provides you with a clean pathway for your cars to move without any icy obstruction. You won’t need to pay a professional to clear the snow, saving you money.
In this article, you’ll find that the prices of heated driveways for 2023 are worth it. We’ll explore the cost of a new heated driveway and factors influencing this pricing.
Why Consider Heated Driveways?
Canada can become a winter wonderland when the snow starts to fall, particularly in the northern areas. Hence, relying on a shovel can be laborious and backbreaking. Furthermore, you probably can’t always rely on hiring the neighbour’s kids or paying for professionals.
Regardless of the initial pricing of heated driveways, you’ll find that they will save you considerable money. You’ll eliminate the need to shovel heavy snow and save money on hiring someone else.
Costs of Heated Driveways
Installation service charges make up most of the initial cost of a new heated driveway. The average cost of installing heated driveways ranges from $15 to $25 per square foot.
Here’s a breakdown of how much it costs to install a heated driveway, depending on the type:
Built-in Driveway Heating Systems
This form of driveway heating is a permanent fixture. However, the built-in driveway heating system comes in two major formats. There’s the wire grid heated driveway system and the hot water heated driveway system.
Wire Grid Heated System
The average price for installing a wire grid heated system can range from $5,000 to $10,000. The cost of installing the wire grid can be hefty, but its effect is long-term.
The wire grid heated system uses cables arranged in a grid underneath the driveway to heat the surface. The grid can be operated manually or automatically. One significant advantage of the wire grid system is it allows for perfect even heat distribution. You won’t see any pockets of snow on the driveway.
Hot Water Heater System
The cost of installing a heated driveway with this hot water system can range from $3,500 to $8,000. This hot water heating system is incredibly efficient and more common. Unlike the wire grid system, which uses cables, a hot water heated driveway relies on tubes filled with hot water.
The tubes run underneath the driveway and have hot water pass through them. Then, the hot water is mixed with antifreeze to create a highly exothermic solution. The solution heats up, melting accumulating snow on the driveway’s surface.
As the snow melts into liquid form, drains installed at the side collect the flowing water. The drains help to prevent stagnant water from staying on the driveway.
Alternatively, you could install a heated driveway system that uses a boiler to boil water into steam before passing it through the tubes. The circulating hot water warms the driveway.
This boiler method is more familiar with indoor heating. Nevertheless, the boiler radiant heating system can be applied outside as well.
Portable Heated Mats
This option is the most popular when most people ask how much heated driveways cost. The portable heated mats are very budget-friendly. The prices of the mats can range from $1,500 to $3,000.
The significant benefit of the heating mats is their portability. You can easily move the mats from one location to another. If you’re renting where you are staying, you can take the heated mats with you when you move.
- The mats can be placed on high-priority snowy areas.
- The mats come equipped with a heating element placed between two rubbery materials.
- The mats also possess a power cord that’s resistant to moisture.
- Additionally, you can adjust the level of heating to your taste.
Heated mats aren’t as powerful as built-in systems. Furthermore, you’ll have to manually place and remove the heated mats before and after a snowfall.
Additional Factors that can affect the Cost of Installing Heated Driveways
Other extraneous factors influence how much the heated driveway costs. They include the following:
- Will the installation involve tearing up your old driveway?
- Can the current driveway be retrofitted?
- What sort of heat source is available?
- What is the size and length of your driveway?
- What is the cost of the materials needed?
- Will the heating system be independent or connected to your home system?
- Will the heating system be manual or automatic?
These questions are pivotal in deciding how much the overall cost of installing the heated driveway will be. You need to conduct proper research to know where you can save costs.
In Short
The cost of a new heated driveway system starts at $3,500 for built-in systems. This initial cost estimate can go up depending on whether or not the installation involves tearing up the existing driveway.
It’s better to talk to an expert for a precise cost outlay for your heated driveway. Interlock GTA has multiple years of experience delivering new heated driveways to residents across the GTA.
A friendly driveway specialist is ready to discuss your heated driveway needs with you. Call 647-997-7359 for a free estimate.
