How to get your home ready for winter weekends indoors
Getting your home ready for winter requires checking for and sealing any air leaks and having your heating system serviced. If you still plan to use your old fireplace, it’s also smart to consider more energy-efficient options, such as inserts.
Balancing energy efficiency with home comfort during winter is particularly crucial these days, as energy prices keep soaring. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, for instance, predicts residential electricity prices to increase by 18% through 2026 and natural gas by 1%.
Will 2026 be La Niña or El Niño?
2026 is an El Niño year. As you prepare your home to make it ready for winter this year, it pays to know what El Niño means for it and how it differs from La Niña.
In a June 2026 report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that El Niño has formed, meaning temperatures have been 0.5°C above average for several months in a row. It also expects the climate phenomenon to peak by winter.
El Niño differs from La Niña in that it brings weaker trade winds and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures. La Niña is the opposite, bringing stronger trade winds and cooler ocean temperatures.
Understanding what El Niño means for the coming winter is crucial, as it allows you to prepare early for
- Changing temperatures
- Extreme weather risks
- Storm tracks
Farmers’ Almanac, for instance, notes that due to El Niño’s influence, some regions could see raw rain, heavy wet snow, and repetitive storms. Other places, however, will experience milder stretches but still go through quick cold snaps.
What’s the Coldest You Should Let Your House Get In the Winter?
One of the most crucial cold weather tips to keep in mind is to ensure 65 °F is the coldest you allow your house to get in the winter (for health and safety reasons). According to research published in the Science of the Total Environment, safe thresholds for indoor temperatures range from 18 °C to 35 °C (64.4 °F to 95 °F).
How Can You Get Your Home Ready for Winter Weekends Indoors?
Get your home ready for winter by sealing any air leaks in and around your home, particularly around windows and doors. Once patched, you’ll have an easier time keeping warm air from your heating system inside your home for longer.
Ensure you have your heating system serviced, too, ideally during fall. A pre-season tune-up ensures it’s ready to provide energy-efficient, peak performance during winter weekends and the coldest nights while also helping you enjoy a lower heating bill.
If you plan to supplement your home heating system with an older fireplace, you may want to reconsider and, instead, buy fireplace inserts here for more energy-efficient options. With pellet stoves as inserts, you can enjoy constant temperature with much less ash residue than traditional fireplaces.
Get Your Indoor Spaces Ready for Winter
Getting your home ready for winter isn’t just for comfort; it’s also for your and your family’s wellness. By getting air leaks sealed, having your heating system serviced, and upgrading to fireplace inserts, you can keep your indoor spaces warm and safe while worrying less about surprise surges in your heating bills.
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