xcuse me if I sound like an old farmer reminiscing
with his buddies over a diner breakfast, but I’ve lived
in the Midwest for most of my life, and I can’t re-
member one as bad as last year’s. After the endless
accumulation of snow that had me worrying about
the low pitch of my laundry room roof and the nega-
tive 40-degree weather that tested my boiler’s limits,
you can be sure that this fall I’ll be doing everything in my
power to be more prepared for the coming winter. Besides
the obvious things (buying a roof rake, adding more insulation,
draft-proofi ng every inch of the house) I’ve also found the best
tech for keeping a home and its occupants warm, safe, and
healthy all winter long.- Ecobee Smart
Thermostat with
Voice Control
($249)
The Ecobee
Smart Thermostat
with Voice Control
will be relatively
easy to install for
most users un-
less you have an
older thermostat
or a less common
heating setup (see
sidebar). While I
haven’t yet had a
chance to test the
ARE YOU READY
FOR WINTER?
GEAR FOR KEEPING YOUR HOME COZY & SAFE
BY SARAH KINGSBURY
E
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