Winter is coming up fast, which means it’s time to start getting your house ready for cold weather. A little prep work now will help you save on heating bills, stay warm, and prevent damage like frozen pipes.
If you don’t know where to start, New England Smart Energy Group can help.
Here are our top tips to prepare your house for a New England winter.
Why Winterizing Your Home Matters
If you live in Connecticut, you know winter heating costs can get out of control. But you might be surprised by just how much heat—and money—you’re losing every winter.
If your house is leaky and poorly insulated, your energy costs could be around 15% higher than they should be!
That means you’re paying more to live in a drafty and uncomfortable house.
On top of that, winter weather can damage your home. If you don’t have good insulation, you’re risking frozen pipes and ice dams, both of which can cause serious and expensive water damage.
How to Prepare Your Home for Winter
There are several ways to winterize your home, but some matter more than others. Here’s what we recommend, based on our 16+ years of experience insulating Connecticut homes.
1. Book a Home Energy Solutions Visit
If you’ve never had a Home Energy Solutions or Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible (HES/HES-IE) visit, we can’t recommend it enough. It includes:
- A comprehensive evaluation of your home’s energy efficiency
- Professional air sealing and, if needed, duct sealing to stop drafts and heat loss
- Energy-saving upgrades like hot water pipe insulation, faucet aerators, and low-flow showerheads
- Access to rebates for bigger improvements like insulation and heat pumps
This is all offered through Energize Connecticut℠ and is heavily subsidized. Most homeowners pay just a $75 co-pay, receive about $850 in services, and save up to $180 a year on energy bills. If you meet income requirements, you can receive an HES-IE visit at no cost. And, if you sign up by 12/31/2025, your co-pay will be waived!
2. Seal Drafty Areas
One of the easiest and most affordable ways to save on winter heating bills is by sealing drafty areas.
The small gaps and cracks that let drafts in can easily go unnoticed, but they waste a lot of energy. The amount of air leakage in a typical house is equivalent to leaving a window open all year long!
Air sealing closes those drafty areas, so your house stays warmer and your heating system doesn’t have to work as hard, saving you money on energy bills.
Air sealing is included in the cost of HES/HES-IE.
3. Upgrade Your Insulation
Insulation is your home’s first line of defense against the cold. It keeps your house warmer, saves money on energy bills, and stops heat loss from causing frozen pipes in your walls and ice dams on your roof.
If your house doesn’t have enough insulation, fall is the best time to upgrade it so you’re ready when the cold hits.
We’ll evaluate your insulation as part of your HES/HES-IE visit. If it needs to be upgraded, we can help you claim Energize CT rebates to cover most or all of your installation costs.
If you live in New Haven, we can help you claim additional rebates through a city grant to take care of barriers like mold and asbestos removal before we upgrade your insulation.
