Fall is the cheapest season to protect a home. An hour of work now, on water lines, the furnace, and a few outside jobs, heads off the burst pipes and frozen taps that cost thousands in January. We start with the question everyone asks, whether to cover the air conditioner, because the answer depends on something important most people miss, then move through the full checklist you can print.
The outdoor unit of your air conditioner is built to live outside, through every season. Snow and cold are not what damages it. In fact, the manufacturer Lennox advises against wrapping it in a full cover: a full cover traps moisture, which can cause rust and corrosion and can freeze on the coils, it gives rodents a warm place to nest over winter, and some covers can even affect the warranty.
If your only worry is falling leaves and ice dripping from the roof, the fix is simple. Cover just the top, with a breathable cover or even a board weighted down, and leave the sides fully open so air can move and moisture can escape. Before you do, clean the leaves and debris out of the unit and hose the fins down gently.
A heat pump looks like an air conditioner but works all winter, because in winter it is heating your home. Covering it, even the top, can block airflow and trap the moisture it sheds during its defrost cycle. Instead, keep snow cleared away from it after every snowfall, leave the defrost cycle alone to do its job, and if heavy ice builds up, turn the unit off and call a contractor, or melt it with warm water. Never chip at the ice. How to tell what you have: if the outdoor unit runs during winter, or your thermostat has a heat pump or auxiliary heat setting, it is a heat pump.
Some people switch off the outdoor electrical disconnect for the winter. If you do, switch it back on at least a day before you first run the system in spring. The compressor has a crankcase heater that needs time to warm up before startup. This is general manufacturer guidance, so it is worth asking your HVAC contractor about your specific unit.
If your AC is near the end of its life, one provider's 2026 estimate (Enercare) puts a new high-efficiency central air conditioner at roughly $4,000 to $6,000 installed for a typical system, with about a 15-year lifespan, and more for larger or premium systems. Treat it as a ballpark from one company, not a quote.
This is your printable. Work through it once before the first hard freeze, and tick each item as you go.
Done for the year: ________________
An ice dam is the ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and backs melting snow up under the shingles. It is not really a roof problem. It is caused by heat leaking from the house into the attic, which melts the snow above, which then refreezes when it reaches the cold eaves. The real fix is air sealing and insulation in the attic, plus good attic ventilation, as NRCan's Keeping the Heat In explains. Throwing salt on the roof is not the answer and can damage shingles and gutters.
Keep water for 72 hours (about 2 litres per person per day), flashlights and batteries, a phone power bank, any medications, and a printed list of key phone numbers in case your phone dies. The Government of Canada's Get Prepared site has a full list at getprepared.gc.ca.
Keep the heat on, even in rooms you do not use. Brantford's utility guidance suggests keeping it at least 12 degrees Celsius where water enters the home. In a deep freeze, open the cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls so warm air can reach the pipes. If a pipe does freeze, shut off the main water valve and thaw it gently with a hair dryer. Never use an open flame.
This one matters especially if you travel home to visit family over the winter. If you are heading back to India for a wedding season trip, or away for a month, a five-minute call to your insurer or broker before you go, and someone to check the house or shut the water off, can protect you from a frozen-pipe claim being denied while you are gone.
The federal Canada Greener Homes Grant has closed to new applications. Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program is active, with pre-approval required before any work begins. Current amounts:
The gas versus non-gas split is the whole story here, so never plan around "$7,500" on its own. This program was active as of October 2026, but the deadline has shifted before, so confirm the current end date and amounts on homerenovationsavings.ca before you start.
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