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Get the house ready for winter
Tap any part of the house to see what it needs before the cold comes. 27 steps in 8 places, each with the page that says why. Check them off; the house warms up as you go.
- 27 steps
- 8 places
- 5 tools
- 12 sources
Tap a part of the house
0 of 27 steps done
Rather go one step at a time? Walk the house. Your checks stay in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Is the roof yours to look after?
No for most condos and apartments.
Are there faucets on the outside of the house?
Does the heat blow through ducts?
Yes for most furnaces and ducted heat pumps; no for a boiler with radiators or baseboard heat.
Do you use space heaters?
Will the house sit empty for part of the winter?
27 of 27 steps fit your house. A "no" only hides steps; nothing is deleted, and your answers stay on this device.
Share with your household
Split the list with someone else in the house: check off what you do, send the link, and their phone adds it to its own. No account; the record rides in the link and never reaches this site.
The season, in order
- Early fall16 steps. While it is still mild: the jobs that take an afternoon or a call.
- Before the first freeze3 steps. The night the forecast first reaches 32 degrees, these should already be done.
- During a cold snap6 steps. What to do on the nights it is actually freezing.
- Leaving for the winter2 steps. A house nobody is in needs two more things.
Tools
- The winter checklist27 steps, sorted by when they belong, each with the page that says why. Tap to check one off; this device remembers.Open the checklist
- Freeze check: will tonight be hard on your pipes?Enter tonight's forecast low and where your pipes run. Get the steps for tonight, in order, each linked to the page that says why.Check tonight
- Caulk and weatherstrip counterCount your windows and doors. See the feet of caulk and weatherstripping that takes, and how many tubes to buy at the bead you will run.Count it
- What the work savesType a year of energy bills. See ENERGY STAR's own upper bound for each kind of winter work, and which of your steps earn it.See the numbers
- Walk the house, one step at a timeOne step on the screen at a time, in the order the season runs. Done, Later, or Not for my house: three big buttons, or swipe.Start the walk
Guides
- FaucetsHow to winterize outdoor faucets and hosesDisconnect the hose, close the valve inside, open the faucet outside. Ten minutes, before the first freezing night.
- PipesHow to keep pipes from freezingInsulate the pipes on outside walls and in unheated spaces, seal the drafts on them, and on the coldest nights let a faucet trickle and open the cabinets.
- PipesWhat to do about a frozen or burst pipeShut off the water first. Then call a plumber and your insurance agent. Never use an open flame, and keep away from standing water near electricity.
- WindowsHow to find and seal drafts around windows and doorsA sheet of paper finds the leaks. Caulk the frames, weatherstrip what moves, and put plastic over the window you cannot fix this year.
- RoofHow to prevent ice damsAn ice dam is the attic's heat melting snow on the roof. Seal the attic, insulate it, keep the vents open, and pull snow off the lower edge.
- FurnaceGet the furnace ready for winterBook the fall tune-up, check the filter every month, and seal the ducts that run through cold spaces.
- HearthHeat the house safely: fireplaces, space heaters and CO alarmsHave the chimney inspected, keep three feet clear around every heat source, turn space heaters off when you leave, and put a CO alarm on every level.
- PipesLeaving the house for the winterKeep the heat at 55 or higher, and have someone check the house every day. If no one can, shut off and drain the water.
Every step cites the extension service or agency page it comes from. After the drafts are sealed, the network's home energy site is Charge at Home. Spot an error? See Corrections.