WarmlyYours PowerMat Snow Melting Mat, 2 x 50 ft, 100 sqft

Why it's worth it

This 2-by-50-foot mat goes under concrete, asphalt or pavers and covers 100 square feet at about 50 watts per square foot. It runs on 240V, needs an electrician, and comes with a 10-year limited warranty.

This is a different kind of product from everything else here, and it only makes sense at a specific moment: when you're pouring or repaving anyway. The mat installs at a depth of 3 to 4 inches under the surface and then disappears. No rolling anything out in November, no cords across the yard, no mats to store. Owners who buried theirs under slate pavers and asphalt describe it doing exactly what they hoped through their first winter.

The output is roughly a quarter higher than what portable mats put out. WarmlyYours lists 50.09 watts per square foot against the roughly 40 watts per square foot typical of surface mats, and it draws 20.87 amps at 240V for a total of 5,009 watts across the 100-square-foot mat. That's a dedicated circuit and a licensed electrician, not an outdoor outlet. It's also why it can keep a surface above freezing rather than just melting what lands on it.

From our review of 5 snow melting mats for walkways, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +This is a different kind of product from everything else here, and it only makes sense at a specific moment: when you're pouring…
• +The output is roughly a quarter higher than what portable mats put out
• +The warranty is the standout
• +One code requirement you can't skip: US NEC 426.28 requires ground-fault protection of equipment for fixed outdoor deicing…

What to know

• –You can't undo this. Once the mat is under concrete, a failed section stays failed — one owner describes exactly that, with a…
• –It's a contractor purchase, not a weekend project
• –The owner feedback pool is small compared with the HeatTrak products, and it includes complaints about thin installation…