[policyenthusiast]

^ That's what I have been trying to get across... The energy expended in dealing with snow events in this manner is about half the energy expended for conventional snow removal with salt, sand, trucking, and plowing. It also requires closer attention to the roadway/sidewalk structure.

Lots of retrofits needed for drainage as well. Maybe brick walkways would be easier to repair?

 

[northlands]

I agree with Archited, on paper it makes a lot of operational + financial sense in certain locations.

Frankly it is surprising to me the U of A has never implemented it on their main campus. They already have the central heating plant they could connect to and they spend a fortune on snow removal and sanding/salting all the outdoor walking paths around campus.

 

[Airboy]

The Idea of snow melt on the streets and sidewalks goes back to the early 60s. Back then it was using waste heat from Rossdale.