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It sits between a weekend of do-it-yourself chores and a full energy retrofit. Air sealing hunts down hidden leaks in the attic and rim joist, often with a blower door. Weatherization is the broader seasonal tune-up of the parts you can see and touch, repeated as materials wear out. Several utility and government programs deliver it free to households with modest incomes.
This page covers what a weatherization visit includes, how it differs from air sealing and insulation, the free programs in Ontario and Quebec, the ventilation checks a tighter house needs and a fall checklist.
What a home weatherization package includes: weatherstripping, caulking, door sweeps and pipe insulation
- Weatherstripping on exterior doors and operable windows, replacing strips that have flattened, torn or pulled away from the frame.
- New caulking along window and door trim, at the joint where siding meets a frame and along baseboards on outside walls, once the old cracked bead is scraped out.
- A door sweep or a new threshold seal on every exterior door, including the one between the house and an attached garage.
- Foam gaskets fitted behind outlet and switch cover plates on outside walls, where cold air often trickles in around the electrical box.
- Window film kits, clear plastic sheets taped to the inside of the frame and tightened with a hair dryer, which calm drafts from loose or single-pane windows for the season.
- Foam sleeves on accessible hot water pipes and on water lines that run along outside walls or through unheated crawl spaces and garages, where they are most likely to freeze.
Weatherization vs air sealing vs insulation: which job does your house need?
The three overlap, so it helps to know where each one stops. Weatherization is the seasonal, surface-level package: it deals with the moving parts and visible joints of the living space, uses low-cost materials and needs little more than a ladder, a utility knife and a caulking gun. Air sealing, covered on its own page, goes after the large hidden leaks at the attic floor, the tops of walls and the rim joist. Insulation adds resistance to heat flow through the attic, walls and basement.
Natural Resources Canada's Keeping the Heat In guide treats weatherstripping and caulking as part of its wider advice on controlling air leakage, so a weatherization visit is often the first step rather than the whole answer. If the drafts persist after the doors and windows are done, or you notice attic frost or ice dams, an EnerGuide evaluation will show whether bigger leaks or missing insulation are the real problem.
Signs your house needs weatherizing before winter
- You can see daylight around an exterior door, or a light strip of tissue flutters near a closed window on a windy day.
- Weatherstripping is flattened, cracked or missing, and doors rattle or let in a whistle when they're shut.
- Caulking around window and door frames has shrunk, split or come away from one side of the joint.
- Outlets and switch plates on outside walls feel noticeably cold to the touch in January.
- A pipe along an outside wall or in the crawl space has frozen in a previous winter.
- Rooms at the ends or corners of the house stay chilly even when the thermostat is turned up.
What happens during a weatherization visit, from walk-through to cleanup
A contractor or program advisor usually starts with a walk-through, asking where the house feels cold and checking every exterior door and window, the outlets on outside walls, the attic hatch and any pipes in unheated spaces. The materials are then matched to each spot: different weatherstripping profiles for narrow and wide gaps, exterior-grade caulking outside and paintable caulking inside, an adjustable sweep or a replacement threshold at the door bottom.
Most of the work happens indoors and is finished in a day. Outdoor caulking needs mild, dry weather to cure properly, which is one reason early fall is the easiest time to book. Anything the visit turns up that falls outside weatherization, such as a window that won't close, a failing exterior door, suspect wiring behind a cold outlet or damp insulation in the attic, is noted for the right trade rather than patched over.
Free weatherization programs for low-income households in Ontario and Quebec
Several programs install weatherization measures at no charge for households that meet an income limit or receive certain benefits. The income thresholds are posted on each program's page and can change from one year to the next, so check the current criteria before applying. When this page was reviewed, these programs were running:
- Ontario's Energy Affordability Program, delivered by Save on Energy, offers eligible homeowners, renters and social housing residents a free energy needs assessment and, depending on eligibility, free upgrades that include draft proofing and attic or basement insulation; its Energy Saving Kits include weatherstripping to install yourself.
- Enbridge Gas's Home Winterproofing Program provides a free home energy assessment, draft proofing and wall, attic or basement insulation to income-qualified households heated by a natural gas furnace or boiler, or by a gas fireplace as the main heat source; renters need written permission from their landlord.
- Quebec's Éconologis program runs each year from October 1 to March 31 and is open to owners and tenants whatever energy heats the home, with free light work such as caulking windows, weatherstripping door bottoms and insulating outlets on outside walls; households that used it within the last five years aren't eligible.
- Taking part in Éconologis is the prerequisite for Hydro-Québec's LogisVert offer for modest-income households, which provides equipment such as heat pumps and smart thermostats at no cost.
- Larger retrofits funded through Rénoclimat, the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program or Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program are covered on our air sealing and energy audit pages.
Weatherizing safely: fuel-burning appliances, ventilation and carbon monoxide
Every gap you close removes a little of the accidental ventilation an older house has always relied on. A few new sweeps and window kits rarely change much on their own, but combined with insulation and air sealing they can leave less air for a naturally vented furnace, water heater or wood fireplace, the combustion spillage risk Natural Resources Canada describes. Moisture that used to leak out stays in, too, so condensation on the new window film is a sign to run the exhaust fans more.
- Leave combustion air openings, louvred furnace room doors and appliance vents alone; the draft there is intentional.
- Never cover a heat recovery ventilator grille, a bathroom fan or the dryer vent to stop a draft.
- After weatherizing alongside insulation or air sealing, ask a heating technician to check naturally vented appliances for spillage.
- Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm near the bedrooms, as Health Canada advises, and test it when you do your fall weatherization.
Fall weatherization checklist for Canadian homes
- Before the first hard frost, disconnect garden hoses and have outdoor faucets shut off and drained from inside unless they're frost-free models.
- Close each exterior door on a strip of paper; if it slides out easily, the weatherstripping or sweep needs adjusting or replacing.
- Re-caulk exterior joints while the days are still mild and dry, and leave the weep holes at the bottom of window frames and brick walls open.
- Put up window film kits once the heating season starts and take them down in spring so the windows can open again.
- Sleeve exposed water lines in the garage, crawl space and basement before the coldest weeks arrive.
- Check that the outside flaps on dryer and bathroom fan vents close properly, and keep them clear of snow all winter.
Weatherization: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between weatherization and weatherproofing?
The terms are often used interchangeably, but weatherproofing usually means keeping water out, through roofing, siding, flashing and waterproofing. Weatherization is about drafts and heat loss: weatherstripping, caulking, door sweeps and similar measures that make a house more comfortable and cheaper to heat in winter.
Can I get free weatherization in Ontario?
Yes, if your household qualifies. Save on Energy's Energy Affordability Program offers free draft proofing, insulation and other upgrades based on income or benefits, and Enbridge Gas's Home Winterproofing Program does the same for income-qualified homes heated with natural gas. Both start with a free home assessment.
Is there a free weatherization program in Quebec?
Éconologis provides free light work, such as caulking, door weatherstripping and outlet insulation, to income-eligible owners and tenants between October 1 and March 31 each year. It's also the gateway to Hydro-Québec's no-cost LogisVert offer for modest-income households.
Do plastic window film kits really help?
On loose or single-pane windows, they can make a noticeable difference to comfort by stopping drafts and trapping a layer of still air. They're a seasonal patch, not a substitute for repairing or replacing windows that are failing, and they need to come down in spring.
Can renters weatherize their home?
Often, yes. Removable measures like window film and draft stoppers rarely need approval, and the Ontario and Quebec programs above accept tenants, though Enbridge's program requires the landlord's written permission before upgrades are installed. For anything permanent, talk to your landlord first.
Sources
- Save on Energy: Energy Affordability Program
- Enbridge Gas: Home Winterproofing Program
- Government of Québec: Free energy efficiency services with Éconologis
- Natural Resources Canada: Keeping the Heat In, Section 3: Materials
- Natural Resources Canada: Keeping the Heat In, Section 4: Comprehensive air leakage control
- Natural Resources Canada: EnerGuide energy efficiency home evaluations
- Natural Resources Canada: Combustion gases in your home
- Health Canada: Preventing carbon monoxide exposure
- Government of Québec: Rénoclimat
- Natural Resources Canada: Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program
- Enbridge Gas and Save on Energy: Home Renovation Savings Program
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides