PRESS RELEASE: Wisconsin Says Goodbye to Outdated Snow Melting Law

May 27, 2008 — Wisconsin governor, Jim Doyle, recently passed a law abolishing the 1980’s law banning heated sidewalks, stairs, entrances and pedestrian walkways in Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the only state to ban heated sidewalks in response to the 1970’s energy crisis.

In a state that received 100 plus inches of snow during the 2007-2008 winter, it is a wonder that the law was not repealed sooner. Many Wisconsin businesses and service providers, such as the Marathon County Public Library, waited for the law to abolish before beginning walkway and stairway construction projects. Safety was the biggest concern and reason behind installing a radiant heat snow melt system.

Current snow melting systems are more environmentally friendly than the use of salt and chemicals to melt the snow, which causes calcium chloride to run into rivers and water supplies. Radiant heat systems are more cost effective in the long run than continual salt dumping and removal, and also extend the life of the cement.

Snow melting systems carried at Warmzone use a sophisticated activation device that only turns the system on when it senses precipitation and temperatures are below 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Additional features include an adjustable temperature trigger point and an adjustable delay off cycle, which eliminates unnecessary energy usage. The Danfoss GX snow melt and heated driveway cable consumes only 30-50 watts per square foot and its response time is the quickest snow melting system on the market (requires 30% less operation than other systems).

Best of all, the snow melt system runs on electricity, not fossil fuels. To make your snowmelt system the ultimate "environmentally friendly" radiant heating system, look into the possibilities of solar, wind, and hydro renewable energy sources.

It is recommended to install a snow melting and heated driveway system into new concrete, but radiant heat systems can also be installed in existing walkways, sidewalks and driveways. Concrete saw-cut technology and epoxy is typically used for retrofitting existing cement structures with radiant heat. For more information about installation and the latest snow melting technology, browse Warmzone's website or call Warmzone at 888.488.WARM.

About Warmzone
Warmzone’s mission is to match customer's needs with the finest radiant heating systems available. As an intermediary between project requirements and a variety of system choices, Warmzone and warmzone.com offer non-biased, individualized solutions that factor the installation, durability, performance and operational investment as the key criteria of their customers.


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