Get Ready for a Warm(er) Winter: A North Country Home Checklist
Quick answer: the cheapest way to a warmer North Country winter is to stop heat from leaving (caulk, weather-strip, insulate pipes and the attic hatch), make sure what you have works (a fall tune-up on the furnace, boiler or heat pump), and fix the room that is always cold with a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat zone before the first -10°F night. No, winters in Ticonderoga, Keene or Plattsburgh are not warm. But the house can be, and the bill can be smaller.
1. Check the caulking and weather-stripping
The Department of Energy has said for years that a large share of a home's heat escapes through the seams around windows and doors. Walk the house on a windy October day with a stick of incense and watch where the smoke bends. Re-caulk the exterior trim, replace tired weather-stripping, and add a door sweep at the mudroom. It also keeps wind-driven rain and meltwater out of the framing.
2. Insulate pipes, the water heater and the attic hatch
Wrap hot-water pipes in the basement or crawl space with foam sleeves so the heat reaches the shower instead of the joists. A standard electric tank benefits from an insulating jacket; better still, replace it with a hybrid heat-pump water heater that cuts water-heating electricity by more than half. And check the attic hatch: an uninsulated, unsealed hatch is a chimney straight out of the house.
3. Have the fireplace and chimney inspected
A woodstove or fireplace is backup heat for a lot of Adirondack homes. Have the chimney cleaned and inspected before the season; creosote fires and carbon monoxide are real risks. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use so the chimney is not pulling warm air out of the living room all night.
4. Clear vents, radiators and indoor units; swap to heavy drapes
Move the couch off the baseboard, pull the drapes back from the radiator, and make sure nothing is blocking the airflow from a mini-split's louvers. Heavy winter drapes over single-pane windows make a noticeable difference, and an uncovered window loses heat fastest of all. Close the drapes at dusk and open the south-facing ones on sunny days.
5. Rugs on hard floors, and a fall tune-up
A rug on a hardwood or tile floor over an unheated basement keeps feet warm and keeps you from nudging the thermostat. Two degrees of setpoint over a whole winter is real money on oil or propane. Then book the fall service. For a furnace or boiler, a tune-up catches cracked heat exchangers, failing igniters and carbon monoxide risks before a midnight breakdown; see furnace maintenance. For a Mitsubishi heat pump, the annual service cleans the coil and blower, clears the drain, checks the charge and verifies defrost so it is ready for January; see maintenance pricing.
6. Get the outdoor unit ready for snow
If you already have a heat pump, make sure the outdoor unit sits on its stand above expected drift height, that the area around it is clear of leaves and firewood, and that roof runoff is not going to dump onto it. After each storm, brush the snow off the top and clear the sides so the coil can breathe. During a cold snap you may see steam and hear a gurgle as it defrosts; that is normal. Our winter storm guide covers the details.
7. Fix the cold room for good
Every house has one: the north bedroom, the addition over the garage, the sunroom with three walls of glass. Instead of a space heater running up the NYSEG bill, a single-zone Mitsubishi wall unit or floor-mounted unit heats that room at full capacity at 5°F and keeps going to -13°F (-22°F on H2i Plus), then cools it in July. It is also the first step toward a whole-home conversion, and it qualifies for NYS Clean Heat rebates through NYSEG or National Grid. The best time to install is before heating season, while crews have open dates and the rebate paperwork can be filed ahead of the cold.
Avoid the mid-winter breakdown
The Adirondack Shield Elite Care Plan bundles bi-annual maintenance, $0 repairs and 24-hour priority service from $28 a month for a single zone. For homes still on a furnace or boiler, our monthly service contract does the same job. Either way, the goal is the same: find the small problem in October, not the big one at 2 a.m. in February.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to make my house warmer this winter?
Air sealing: caulk and weather-strip windows and doors, seal the attic hatch and rim joist, and add heavy drapes. These cost little and reduce the load on whatever heating system you have.
Should I service my heat pump before winter?
Yes. An annual service cleans the indoor coil and blower, clears the drain, checks refrigerant charge and electrical connections and verifies defrost operation, so the system delivers full capacity on the coldest nights.
How do I keep snow from affecting my heat pump's outdoor unit?
Mount it on a stand above drift height, keep roof runoff off it, and after storms brush snow off the top and clear the sides so the coil can breathe. Steam during defrost is normal.
When is the best time to install a heat pump in the North Country?
Late summer and fall, before heating season. Crews have more open dates, the rebate paperwork is filed before the cold, and you get the first winter's savings in full.
Talk to us
Have questions about your home? Call Adirondack Heat Pumps at (518) 812-1958, stop by the showroom at 15 Montcalm Street in Ticonderoga, or request a free in-home estimate. We serve Essex County, the Lake George and Lake Champlain shores, the High Peaks and Addison County, Vermont.