What Are Heated Gutters and Are They Worth It?

The snow’s sticking to the ground, sweater season’s in full swing, and the fireplace is roaring—what could possibly take away the winter bliss? Ice damming. These ice formations on your roof interfere with the normal functioning of your gutters and are a major source of wintertime leaks. But with heated gutters, you can enjoy more of winter with fewer ice problems. 

What Are Heated Gutters?

Let’s start by clearing something up: Heated gutters, in the literal sense, don’t exist. But that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve heated gutters through other methods, such as heat cables and heated gutter helmets. Since that’s settled, we’ll be using the phrase “heated gutters” throughout the rest of this article to refer to regular gutters with heat-generating add-ons.

How Do Heated Gutter Systems Work?

Here’s a look at the two main methods used to achieve heated gutters.

Heat Cable

This product can be installed directly in the gutter. It can also be installed at the roof's eave and hung into the gutter for extra protection. A heat cable helps reduce, not prevent, ice formation.

Heat cables work by melting a portion of the ice formation. This creates a pathway underneath the ice where any pooled water can escape and drain properly off the roof. Some products come with thermostats that let you control the temperature of the heat cables. Otherwise, they are set at one constant temperature.

Heated Gutter Helmets

These are often designed to work in tandem with a heat cable. Gutter helmets are installed directly on the cable and act in two ways. One is to prevent debris from getting into your gutters and clogging them throughout the year. (They won’t keep all debris out, but they will help.) The second is that, during the winter, they heat up in order to keep the temperature in your gutters above freezing, thus helping to prevent a buildup of ice.

Pros of Heated Gutter Systems

Now that you know what heated gutters are, let’s look at how they can benefit you and your home. 

Decrease the Chances of Ice Damming

While there’s no fail-proof way to completely stop ice damming, a heated gutter system can help interfere with ice formation. It can potentially help keep you and your family safe, too, since there’s less of a chance that large icicles will form and later come crashing down around the exterior of your house.

Save You Money

Ice damming is known to cause damage such as: 

• Leaks inside the home

• Sagging gutters

• Clogged gutters

Installing heated gutters can potentially save you money on repairs in the long term by preventing these problems before they start.

Cons of Heated Gutter Systems

Not Ideal for the Most Frigid Climates

Heated gutters won’t completely prevent ice formation, but they can help reduce it. They’re more ineffective in extremely frigid or snowy climates. 

Heated gutters melt some of the ice, allowing water to flow underneath and drain away. This may help prevent large ice dams in Mid-Atlantic states where there are hot and humid summers as well as cold winters. In areas like Maine or Alaska where people are used to extended periods of freezing temperatures and heavy snow, heated gutters barely make a difference.

Expensive

Heated gutters can save money on future repairs, but the cost of installation alone can be expensive, potentially reaching thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, the cost doesn’t end there. Heated gutters are powered by electricity. That means they’ll lead to an increase in your energy consumption and an obvious increase in your energy bills if you don’t manage your usage. 

How Much Do Heated Gutter Systems Cost?

Photo: Pascal Huot / Adobe Stock

If heading out in the cold to remove numerous ice dams isn’t on your list of top ten favorite afternoon activities, heated gutter systems are worth it. The cost to install de-icing heat cables is $500 to $4,000, though it largely depends on your location and the size of your home. If you’re more interested in the total package, heated gutter helmets cost $16.50 to $18.50 per foot plus the cost of heat cables. While these figures can help you see how much you should budget for this project, contact your local gutter installation pro for personalized assistance.

Bry'Ana Arvie contributed to this piece.