What It's Like to Live in a City With a Real Winter

Find out how these homeowners have learned to live with -- and love -- their wintry cities

By Shannon Petrie, FrontDoor.com | Published: 11/05/2009

Investing in energy-efficient windows can help staunch the high cost of heating a home in a cold climate.

These days, "living green" is a priority for many people. But in a colder climate, it's practically a necessity. The high cost of energy -- an issue that affects nearly everyone in the United States -- can be especially taxing for people living in cities with harsh winters.

In Caribou, for instance, Buck says an average family can easily spend between $2,000 and $4,000 heating their home over the winter months -- and that excludes the cost of electricity for lighting a home. Residents of these cities have to take extra measures to alleviate the high costs associated with winter.

"Our homes are insulated well, people keep their heating systems well maintained and backup systems are a must," Buck says.

Older homes can be especially problematic when it comes to energy costs. In International Falls, Mason lives in a 3,300-square-foot home built in the early 1930s -- one of the oldest homes in the community. Because of the high cost of heating a home, the previous owner had to make several energy-saving modifications, including new siding, new windows and an efficient natural gas heating system.

Major home updates certainly make a big difference when it comes to saving money on energy, but residents of International Falls have also learned that small details matter too. Mason says many homeowners keep their heating costs down by choosing window treatments designed to keep their homes warm, or by covering their windows with plastic film to keep drafts out. "You use a blow dryer to make it really smooth so it looks like glass, and sometimes people don't even notice that it's covering your windows," she says.

"I also know quite a few people who just keep the thermostat at 65 degees, all the time, they don't touch it," Mason says. "And you just wear a sweatshirt over your long-sleeved shirt and stay warm that way."

Besides energy costs, a harsh winter doesn't have a huge effect on cost of living. Other than heating costs, the only additional expenses Holder has encountered since he moved from North Carolina to Syracuse are snow removal services and a pair of snow tires for his van.

"The way I look at it is there's a lot of balance there. What we spend extra in heating costs, we save in air conditioning costs," he says.

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