The HeatTrak Homeowner's Blog & Resources

A concrete or asphalt driveway is a major convenience that many homeowners enjoy, but when winter weather arrives and covers your pavement with a layer of snow or ice, steps must be taken to recover full use of your driveway. And the safety hazards of slippery pavements must also be minimized, both to prevent accidents and to avert any possible lawsuits that may follow if a visitor should be injured on your property.

Many homeowners who live in regions with harsh, long winters have, at one time or another, considered installing heated driveway. The convenience of a heated driveway, in terms of time savings and labor reduction, is a major attraction, but many homeowners wonder if the cost is simply too high.

Below, we look at the average costs of installing and running an electric coil or hydronic heated driveway, examine some ways a heated driveway could actually save you money, mention an alternative driveway-heating method, and then weigh some factors that might make a heated driveway worth it or not worth it to a particular homeowner.

When winter arrives and your driveway is suddenly covered in snow and ice, you may find yourself longing for a heated driveway that could take the snow shovel out of your hand or eliminate the expense of paying for professional snow-plow services.

But you may not be quite sure if a heated driveway is worthwhile, if its "pros" truly outweigh its "cons," or what kind of cost would be involved in installing, using, and maintaining such a system.

Below, we attempt to clarify what a heated driveway is and what are its benefits and drawbacks. We hope you will find this analysis helpful in determining if a heated driveway of some kind is right for you.

As faithful blog readers know, we like to talk about anything and everything under the winter sun--how to prepare your home for winter, health concerns related to shoveling, hazards that the elderly should avoid in winter, etc.

But as winter approaches ever closer, and customers start getting serious about snow removal, we’ve been getting a lot of great questions about HeatTrak mats.

So today I want to delve into some of those, and address some of the key questions and comments we get here at HeatTrak headquarters, just to clarify some information about the mats.

It’s no secret that the past winter was one of the most devastating on the books. From property damages to stalls in businesses running effectively, chances are that you or someone you know was affected by the severity of this season’s storms.

Although we hope that next year’s storms will be more gentle on our homes, sidewalks, streets and stores, it’s better to plan ahead and be ready when it comes to snow removal methods.

Removing snow and ice from concrete driveways is a major concern for many homeowners living in regions with significant winter precipitation. By ridding their driveways of unwelcome winter weather, they prevent slips and falls, extend the life of their concrete, and lessen the need for concrete repair work. A few of the most effective ways to remove snow from your concrete driveway are briefly discussed below.

The winter months are tricky to navigate for anyone, but the group that faces the most difficulty is unquestionably the elderly. They have an increased susceptibility to slipping and falling, and are more sensitive to the cold weather conditions.

HeatTrak solves those problems by clearing a safe path to freedom for those most vulnerable to winter’s worst.

Just ask Mr. Hagle and Jaden!