Winter hazards at home fall into two groups: the kind that can start a fire or leak carbon monoxide, and the kind that leave you without power or heat when you need it most. Both are common, and both are preventable with a short list of checks.
None of this requires a remodel or a big bill. It requires doing a few things in October that are much harder to do in the middle of a January cold snap.
Decision
What worries you most about winter at home?
Pick the one that matches your situation right now.
Handle Your Biggest Winter Risk First
A furnace or chimney problem is easier to catch in October than to survive in January. A power plan is easier to build on a calm afternoon than during a storm warning.
Start with whichever one matches your situation. You can come back for the other later, but don't skip it.
Protect Against Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide has no color and no smell. That's exactly why it kills more than 150 people in the United States most years, mostly from furnaces, generators, and other fuel-burning equipment that isn't vented properly.
A working alarm is the only reliable way to know it's in your home. Check yours now, while you can still act on what you find.
Find the home hazards worth fixing first.
Start the scanClose tool
Check the highest-risk rooms, note urgent fixes, and print a room-by-room list.
Checklist
Check your heating system
A furnace or chimney problem is easier to catch now than to survive in January.
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Checklist
Confirm your carbon monoxide protection
This takes about ten minutes.
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Timeline
Get ready in order
Check off each step as you finish it.
Ask about a medical priority or vulnerable customer list, and confirm what it actually guarantees during an outage.
Charge battery backups and confirm they hold enough power for the equipment you actually need.
Move to your backup location if the outage runs longer than your backup power can cover.
Checklist
Fix the entryway before the first snow
Confirm each of these before ice season starts.
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Save what you checked here so you have it before the first cold snap.
Prepare for a Winter Power Outage
An outage is a bigger problem in January than in June. Heat, medical equipment, and refrigerated medication all depend on power staying on, and a plan made in advance is what keeps a storm from turning into an emergency.
Work through this before the first winter storm watch, not during one.
Keep Ice From Turning Into a Fall
A fall on an icy step is one of the most preventable injuries of winter, and one of the most common reasons an independent retiree ends up needing help at home afterward.
A few fixes at the door do more good than almost anything else on this list.
For the rest of your home, Aging in Place Home Safety Checklist for Seniors Who Want to Stay Independent covers the room-by-room hazards this list doesn't. If cost is the obstacle to any of these fixes, The Federal Program That Pays to Weatherize Your Home covers a program that may pay for the furnace and insulation work directly.
Common questions
How often should I have my furnace inspected?
Once a year, before the heating season starts, along with your chimney if you have one. Scheduling it in early fall means you find a problem while there's still time to fix it, instead of during the first cold snap when repair companies are booked solid.
Where should carbon monoxide alarms go in my home?
On every level of your home and outside each separate sleeping area. Test each one now and replace the battery if it's due. Carbon monoxide has no color or smell, so a working alarm is the only reliable way you'll know it's building up.
What should I do about medical equipment during a power outage?
Call your utility company before an outage happens and ask about a priority reconnection or medical needs list. Confirm a backup power source for anything you can't go without, and identify a nearby location with power in case the outage runs longer than your backup can cover.
How do I stop ice on my steps from causing a fall?
Confirm handrails are secure, add or check outdoor lighting at every entrance, and keep ice melt or sand by the door so you can treat steps before walking on them. If shoveling isn't safe for you, arrange for a neighbor, family member, or paid service to handle it.
