Snow melt systems are a natural extension of the hydronic thermal systems that Radiance designs and installs. When a snow melt system is kept limited in scope, it can be designed to fit into an economical renewable energy design. Examples of appropriate size snow melt applications are a North-facing doorstep or the entrance landing or sidewalk of a retail store or restaurant.

Many of our customers ask about snow melt systems for their driveways, decks, or patios. While these are entirely possible, the economics of using renewable energy technologies diminish as the size of the applicaiton increases. Simply stated, it takes a lot of energy to heat the outdoors, and the greater the energy capacity requirements, the more difficult it is to apply renewable energy technologies economically to a useful fraction of the solution.

Conversely, if your goal is to heat your swimming pool using solar energy, ask us about using your driveway as a hydronic solar collector. This same system can then be used as a snow-melt system in winter, albiet at a real price in natural gas or propane burned in one or more instantaneous-demand water heaters.