Heated Driveway Cost in Toronto
Find the heated driveway cost Toronto homeowners pay for a driveway your size, and what each snowfall costs to melt.
How big is your driveway?
Pick your driveway size to see both prices.
Call 1-833-859-5769 to book a quote visit
The price is higher if you have paving stones, if the old driveway has to come out first, or if your home needs a bigger electrical panel or a new boiler: prices by surface. Heating only the walk or the steps? Walkway and step prices.
What a Heated Driveway Costs in Ontario by Size
With a hydronic system, a gas boiler warms liquid and pumps it through tubing under the driveway. An electric one skips the liquid and relies on heating cables or mats.
Ontario installers charge by the square foot, written sq ft on this page. Precision Landscaping quotes electric work at $30 to $50 per sq ft and hydronic at $40 to $60. Action Home Services puts electric at $20 to $60 and hydronic at $60 to $95.
A standard single driveway covers roughly 400 sq ft, while a double comes to about 600 sq ft. The installed cost for both sizes, across the full published range, looks like this.
| Driveway size | Electric system, installed | Hydronic system, installed |
|---|---|---|
| Single driveway (400 sq ft) | $8,000–$24,000 | $16,000–$38,000 |
| Double driveway (600 sq ft) | $12,000–$36,000 | $24,000–$57,000 |
The surface matters too: interlock pavers cost more to heat than concrete or asphalt, because the heat sits in a sand bed under the stones. Interlock pavers are small paving stones that fit together (prices by surface). Only a visit can tell you where your own driveway lands, so book one before you fix a budget.
In Toronto, the cost of an electric heated driveway on a single driveway is about $8,000 to $24,000, installed. A hot-water setup on the same driveway lands somewhere between $16,000 and $38,000. A double driveway raises the price further, and every snowfall brings a running cost that shifts with the system you pick and the hours it runs. These ranges come from prices published by two Ontario installers, so treat them as a starting point. Your installer gives you the real figure for your driveway during the visit.
Running Cost for One Snowfall
An electric heated driveway uses a lot of power while it runs. A single snowfall usually keeps it on for 4 to 6 hours. On a single driveway, that much electricity costs about $7 to $23, and on a double about $11 to $34. What you pay depends on your price plan and the hours it runs.
Ontario homes buy electricity on one of three plans. On Time-of-Use, the price changes with the time of day: off-peak (weekdays 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and all weekend) is cheapest, on-peak (weekdays 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.) costs the most, and mid-peak (weekdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) sits in between. Tiered charges the same price at any hour, and a slightly higher one once your home has used 1,000 kilowatt-hours (the unit your bill counts) in a winter month. The third plan, Ultra-Low Overnight, is explained just below.
How this is worked out
While it runs, an electric system draws roughly 50 watts per sq ft. Your electricity bill counts the power in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
The Ontario Energy Board resets home electricity prices each year on 1 November. The board has already set the prices for this winter. Using the prices from 1 November 2026, this table shows the cost of one snowfall on an electric driveway under each price plan.
| Plan | Single driveway | Double driveway |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-Low Overnight (11 p.m.–7 a.m.) | $3–$4 | $4–$7 |
| Time-of-Use off-peak (weekday evenings, plus all nights and weekends) | $7–$11 | $11–$16 |
| Tiered (up to the first 1,000 kWh monthly) | $9–$13 | $13–$20 |
| Time-of-Use mid-peak (weekdays, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.) | $12–$18 | $18–$26 |
| Time-of-Use on-peak (weekdays, 7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m.) | $15–$23 | $23–$34 |
| Ultra-Low Overnight on-peak (weekdays, 4–9 p.m.) | $30–$45 | $45–$68 |
The Ultra-Low Overnight plan has the lowest overnight rate but the highest weekday late-afternoon rate, so the hours your system runs matter. Call us to book a quote visit.
Hydronic costs far less to run. With the Enbridge rates effective 1 October 2026, a single driveway burns roughly $2 to $3 of gas per snowfall, and a double about $3 to $5, before HST is added. HST is Ontario's 13 % sales tax, added to your energy bills.
Which Heated Driveway Fits an Ontario Home?
Electric works best for smaller zones of roughly 500 sq ft or less, where the lower installed price matters more than the higher running cost. A 100 sq ft walkway heats for just $0.46 an hour at off-peak rates and $0.95 at on-peak.
A hydronic system carries a higher install price but costs far less every time it snows, which makes it the better fit for bigger driveways. It needs a boiler fired by gas, and an ENERGY STAR-certified gas boiler reaches 90 % efficiency. ENERGY STAR is the label for efficient models, and 90 % efficiency means about 90 % of the gas turns into heat.
Not every house has enough spare electrical capacity to run an electric system. The electrical panel is the breaker box where power comes into your home, and a heated driveway needs a lot of power from it. Our installer inspects your panel during the visit, so the decision rests on what your home can actually handle.
Permits and Electrical Rules in Toronto
If the driveway work crosses City property in Toronto, you need a street work permit. That usually covers the boulevard, the narrow strip running from the sidewalk out to the street.
Any electrical work needs a notification of work as well, a form you file with the Electrical Safety Authority before anything starts. Both need to be in place before work begins. The Electrical Safety Authority is Ontario's electrical safety office; when a licensed electrical contractor does the work, they file the notification.
Heated Driveways: Questions People Ask
Any downsides to a heated driveway?
The biggest one is what you pay up front. Running costs can climb, too: on the Ultra-Low Overnight plan, one weekday-evening snowfall can cost $30 to $45 in electricity on a single driveway and $45 to $68 on a double. A hydronic setup also depends on a working boiler, which means one more piece of equipment to maintain.
How long will a heated driveway last?
WarmlyYours, a company that makes these systems, rates electric snow melting gear at 30-plus years, and gives a hydronic boiler a lifespan of about 20 years, stretching to 25 at the top end.
How does a heated driveway affect your electric bill?
That depends on how often it snows. Between 1991 and 2020, Toronto Pearson airport had about 45 days a year with some snow, but only about 7 with 5 cm or more. Each snowfall adds about $7 to $23 to your bill on a single electric driveway.
Is a heated driveway a costly choice?
It costs more up front than a GTA plow contract, which usually runs $450 to $900 a season. In return, you get a driveway that clears itself every snowfall, with no waiting for the plow and no shovelling, and an electric system can last 30 years or more. Call us to book a quote visit and get the exact price for your driveway.