In an era of sophisticated controls and highly efficient boilers, snowmelt systems don’t have to be limited to luxury resorts and high-end projects.
That’s good news for architects and designers who want to mitigate risk for their clients, because snowmelt systems can be a vital safety amenity for many facilities, says Kolyn Marshall, systems engineering manager for Watts, which manufactures a variety of hydronic and electric products used for radiant heating and snowmelt systems and controls.
A snowmelt system works by gently warming upper surfaces. Typically, just a few degrees above freezing is sufficient to do the job. Photo courtesy Watts.
Beyond safety, snowmelt systems have wide-ranging benefits, from reduced maintenance costs to regulatory compliance, less chemical runoff, and less damage to driveways and floors from salt and snow removal equipment. But the perception of snowmelt as an unnecessary luxury can make it value-engineered out of projects. Here are four creative ways architects and designers can incorporate snowmelt into their projects while alleviating common client concerns.
1. Select a smaller-footprint heating source.
Until recent years, efficiency was the number one factor guiding decision-making about snowmelt heating sources. But with boiler manufacturers today achieving high efficiency levels across the board, convenience, as well as the size of the unit, are playing a bigger role, Marshall says. “On the natural gas and propane side, you can get some nice wall-mount units,” he says. “Smaller, highly efficient modulating-condensing boilers definitely have become more popular in the last five to 10 years.
2. Use a zoned system to help downsize the heating source.
Almost every facility has areas that require snow to melt more urgently than others because they freeze or melt more quickly or are used more. “So you may have a half-a-million-Btu snowmelt system and break it up into four or five sections, and you only need a 100,000-Btu boiler because it’s just melting one section at a time,” Marshall says.
Modern boilers such as U.S. Boiler Company’s Alpine condensing boilers pictured at a Seth Energy installation at Millennium Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., can be easily adjusted with onboard controls. Photo courtesy U.S. Boiler.
3. Consider a fuel source that adds resilience.
Propane is commonly used to fuel boilers for snowmelt in areas without access to natural gas, but Marshall sees some projects with critical energy needs incorporating propane as a backup to other primary energy sources. “They can store the fuel on-site, off-grid, and not have to worry about it,” he says.
4. Get creative with heating sources.
If your building has a cooling tower or a compressor for a large cooler or freezer section, consider capturing that waste heat to make the snowmelt more efficient. Another opportunity to capture waste heat is with propane combined heat and power systems, which can provide stable power from an engine or turbine and use the waste heat for water heating and snowmelt. Upfront planning can help identify systems that can be dual-use in order to reduce the upfront equipment cost, Marshall says, such as a building steam system or pool heaters that aren’t needed in the winter.
Another energy-saving option? Hybrid systems with renewable energy. Thanks to improvements in digital controls, it’s never been easier to combine solar thermal heating or solar-photovoltaic-powered heat sources with gas or propane boilers, says Tom Secondino, technical sales support specialist for U.S. Boiler Company.
Visit propane.com to learn more about hybrid systems and see two additional ways architects can improve their snowmelt designs.
