Advice for moving to New England (Vermont) as someone unaccustomed to winter

[Metalcat]

^^^ 100% agree about the commuting comment. I used to hate winter, but then I quit my academic job and 30-minute commute to become self-employed and work from home. Now I love winter.

I adore commuting in the winter. My commute means walking or running to work - I don't (yet) bike in the winter. But going outside and make my way to work makes me feel rather bad-ass. It's not really bad-ass in any way, but I really enjoy watching folks trying to keep warm while waiting for public transport, queuing in traffic or scraping ice off their car. The worse conditions, the better. Just have to dress properly. Admittingly, it never goes down to -40 C/F where I live, but -15C/6F can happen.

Yeah, DH loves winter bike/run commuting, but I specifically was talking about car commuting, which is dangerous and miserable in the winter.

[Kris]

^^^ 100% agree about the commuting comment. I used to hate winter, but then I quit my academic job and 30-minute commute to become self-employed and work from home. Now I love winter.

I adore commuting in the winter. My commute means walking or running to work - I don't (yet) bike in the winter. But going outside and make my way to work makes me feel rather bad-ass. It's not really bad-ass in any way, but I really enjoy watching folks trying to keep warm while waiting for public transport, queuing in traffic or scraping ice off their car. The worse conditions, the better. Just have to dress properly. Admittingly, it never goes down to -40 C/F where I live, but -15C/6F can happen.

That, I totally get — especially as someone who walks every day of the week, in all four seasons. If I could have commuted to work without driving, it would have been a lot more pleasant.

[parkerk]

Just seconding (clarifying?) that AWD helps you move in slippery conditions but does NOT help you stop.  Proper snow tires help you stop.  So if you frequently drive somewhere where you'd be prone to getting stuck (steep hills, poorly maintained roads), then AWD/4WD might make sense, but if it's mostly just normal roads you don't necessarily need it. 

Proper SNOW tires (not all seasons, not M+S, actual snow tires) are an absolute must for winter.  Don't cheap out on this.  If it seems expensive you might be tempted to think all season tires are fine.  They're not.  Also, keep in mind that your regular tires will then last twice as long so it's not quite as much of an extra cost as it seems. 

I also highly recommend getting a second set of rims for your snow tires rather than having them switched on and off one set of rims every season.  It's less wear on the tires, and you can just get cheapo steel rims that won't be damaged by salt and sand the way nicer rims or hubcaps would be.  It also makes changing the tires easy to do yourself so you don't have to pay for installation every year.

And if you've never driven in snow/ice it's not a bad idea to have someone who knows what they're doing take you to an empty parking lot to practice.  Just make sure it's a truly empty lot, if there's even one other car or lamppost you can be sure your car will find it!

[Metalcat]

Or take a winter driving class.

I was an okay winter driver until I took a winter driving class, and I'm much more comfortable with winter driving now.

Snow storm driving will always suck though.

[Anon-E-Mouze]

A few years ago, I slipped and fell on my way to work and managed to break both my arms (as well as smash my face into the ground - generating a couple of black eyes and a bloody nose but thankfully no broken bones). It was early April in Ontario, and I'd encountered a stealthy remnant of black ice. It was kind of a nightmare for the next few weeks in particular because with one arm in a cast and the other in a sling, it was pretty hard to keep my balance - and we got several snowfalls in the the first half of April after my accident.

The following year, I felt extra cautious about walking on slippery ground. I remember one day, I was trying to walk slightly uphill on our snowy/icy street to get to the bus stop and I just started sliding back down the hill. I felt like a dog on roller skates. I managed to stop sliding but only by force of will. I called my husband and asked him to come and get me.

So, get shoes and boots with effective non-slip treads. Just because footwear has deep treads doesn't mean the shoes are grippy. Generally, I find that treads made of a really hard material are often as slippery as smooth-soled shoes, while treads that have a somewhat softer, rubbery feel grip better (like the tread on a running shoe).

I also take my smooth-soled shoes to a cobbler and have them add non-slip soles. The boots are for truly snowy or icy days. The shoes with non-slip soles are for generally walking around when the streets seem clear (but there are almost always icy patches somewhere).

And take care on the first icy or snowy days each year. It takes a little while to learn (and re-learn every year) how to walk on slippery ground.

On a different note, you might want to check out the Frugalwoods blog, because they relocated to Vermont a few years ago. They have monthly articles that talk about "life on the homestead", including information about the adjustments they needed to make (and stuff they needed to get) to live in a rural area in winter.

[Ecky]

I'll go back and read others posts, but I live in Vermont, and moved here directly from Florida, where I lived the first 22 years of my life. I'm now 31.



Some thoughts, in no particular order:

-I actually really enjoyed my first winter here. It has gotten harder, however, since I married someone who does not tolerate cold well due to health conditions. This informs me that it's all about positive association. Find some things you'd love to do in winter, like cross country skiing, or snowmobiling, or even (in my case) joining a club that does gymkhana or other competitive driving on the lakes once they freeze deep enough.


-The wood stove is high maintenance. It's an extremely inexpensive way to heat the house, but you'll need to throw logs in it every 6-8 hours. The electric baseboard heaters on the other hand are the absolute *least* efficient way to heat a home, and will cost you dearly. Look into getting some extreme cold weather mini splits. Fujitsu's Halcyons were, at least 2 years ago, the most efficient units on the market.

In order of cost to heat, it's roughly: Natural gas < Top tier heat pump ~ wood < wood pellets < < < oil <<< propane << resistive electric (baseboard)

If you rely on the baseboard heaters at all, you'll regret it with your first power bill. They can be literally 4x more expensive than gas or wood.

I have a pellet stove, which runs approximately 24 hours between refills. A single 3/4 ton mini split in the kitchen will keep the house comfortable until around 30 degrees, and keep it above freezing for all but the coldest 2-3 weeks of winter. I find the convenience factor of the pellet stove to be acceptable, but it also makes leaving the house for more than a day trip in winter more difficult. It's also noisy. I'm strongly considering putting in a 2nd mini split so the house will completely take care of itself.

The nice thing about a wood stove, on the other hand, is that it isn't reliant upon electricity. The power grid is pretty reliable in most parts of the state, but it's wise to have some kind of heating option that doesn't rely on it.

Efficient Vermont has some incredible rebates and incentives. For instance, $800 off a $1200 heat pump water heater, $1000 (?) off a $2500 mini split, $750 off an $800 heat pump dryer, rebates for weatherization. They're extremely easy to claim, too.

As for the chimney inspection and cleaning, I highly recommend it. Chimney fires are dangerous and take lives every year. Pellet stoves do not create the same kind of creosote so the chimney maintenance is much less critical. Gas tends to be clean enough that simply inspecting it yourself is adequate.


-Your car shouldn't need anything but snow tires. I'm partial to Nokians. They're definitely top tier, but Bridgestone also makes some excellent snow tires. It isn't a bad idea to go a little narrower with snow tires as it helps them to cut through the slush.

A block heater will generally pay for itself in fuel savings and you'll get heat a little sooner after starting the car, but it isn't necessary with modern vehicles.


-If you have a big driveway, a snowblower (preferably a large one that's gas powered) could save you some headache 2-3x per year during heavy snowfall.


-Get a couple of bags of salt and sand that you can spread around to melt the snow and give your feet traction. Also get a nice snow shovel.


-I recently bought a HappyLight, which is a local Vermont product. Highly recommended. The end of October through the end of December can be quite gloomy.


-Get involved with seasonal activities. February and March are sugaring season. You probably have at least a couple of sugar maples on your property. Gardening here is very rewarding. Many communities do corn mazes. Take advantage of every minute of summer to go sailing, hiking, or simply lay out in the backyard in a hammock.


-Most of all though, buy good clothing, it's critical that you don't feel trapped inside when it's cold. I like to have a thick wool underlayer (minus 40 brand is good), and I have a couple of pairs of Darn Tough socks which are easily my favorite socks in the world. Get yourself a variety of jackets and shirts that you can try out different combinations of, so that you're always properly equipped for the day. It's better to have layers than one super warm item, because you can shed layers if the day warms up or when you go back inside.

[RetiredAt63]

Lots of good suggestions here.

For cars, tell your tire dealership what your driving conditions are.  There are a variety of winter tires.  And the reason they are called "winter tires" not "snow tires" is that they have softer compounds that don't get hard in cold conditions.  Summer or all-seasons get stiff below 7^oC and don't flex and grip the road properly.

I've driven a Subaru all-wheel drive car at the beginning of winter, before I got the snow tires on, and AWD is not a substitute for winter tires.  I learned the hard way to schedule my tire change earlier.  Oh, and do schedule your tire change early if you are not doing it yourself.  Garages get booked up very fast.

Did anyone mention a winter emergency kit for the car? 

As Malcat said, dress in layers and for the weather.  Remember that you are breathing warm air out but taking in cold air - so in really cold air you should be breathing through a scarf or balaclava.  The fabric is warmed by your exhaled breath and warms the incoming air. Nothing like taking a deep breath of fresh frosty air and freezing your lungs.  In emergencies you can cup your hands around your mouth and nose to keep the air warmer.

Hands - gloves inside a pair of mitts is a versatile choice.  Mitts are much warmer than gloves, but when you need manual dexterity you can take the mitts off and still keep your hands somewhat warm.  I've never tried it, but snowmobiler gear is supposed to be very warm, after all they are just sitting on the snowmobile so are not generating much body heat.


Wool is wonderful, it doesn't chill you when it is damp.  Cotton is horrible.  I always wonder how people can go skiing in jeans.  I guess they never fall and their jeans never get damp?

[habanero]

The top performing non-studded snow tires over here are generally Continental Viking Contact and Nokian Hakkapeliitta.

[Villanelle]

A few years ago, I slipped and fell on my way to work and managed to break both my arms (as well as smash my face into the ground - generating a couple of black eyes and a bloody nose but thankfully no broken bones). It was early April in Ontario, and I'd encountered a stealthy remnant of black ice. It was kind of a nightmare for the next few weeks in particular because with one arm in a cast and the other in a sling, it was pretty hard to keep my balance - and we got several snowfalls in the the first half of April after my accident.

The following year, I felt extra cautious about walking on slippery ground. I remember one day, I was trying to walk slightly uphill on our snowy/icy street to get to the bus stop and I just started sliding back down the hill. I felt like a dog on roller skates. I managed to stop sliding but only by force of will. I called my husband and asked him to come and get me.

So, get shoes and boots with effective non-slip treads. Just because footwear has deep treads doesn't mean the shoes are grippy. Generally, I find that treads made of a really hard material are often as slippery as smooth-soled shoes, while treads that have a somewhat softer, rubbery feel grip better (like the tread on a running shoe).

I also take my smooth-soled shoes to a cobbler and have them add non-slip soles. The boots are for truly snowy or icy days. The shoes with non-slip soles are for generally walking around when the streets seem clear (but there are almost always icy patches somewhere).

And take care on the first icy or snowy days each year. It takes a little while to learn (and re-learn every year) how to walk on slippery ground.

On a different note, you might want to check out the Frugalwoods blog, because they relocated to Vermont a few years ago. They have monthly articles that talk about "life on the homestead", including information about the adjustments they needed to make (and stuff they needed to get) to live in a rural area in winter.

Do you have specific recommendations for footwear?  I've fallen a couple times on icy/snowy walks.  Thankfully I was uninjured (other than a couple bruises) but it's made me very hesitant and anxious.  I'd like to do more walking this winter--likely just on sidewalks or paved surfaces, though there are some trails near my house that I might want to attempt.  But footwear is a concern.  I was wearing Sorels, one of the more oft recommended brands, one of the times I fell. 

[habanero]

If it's really slippery you need studs. Icebug has quite a few models, I have one I bought ages ago but don't really use them very often - they are good though but I prefer my other alternative. My go-to-shoe is Asics Fujisetsu, those are trail running shoes with studs and they are waterproof as well. Studs do not guarantee you won't slip but makes it a lot less likely.

[Morning Glory]

Lots of good suggestions here.

For cars, tell your tire dealership what your driving conditions are.  There are a variety of winter tires.  And the reason they are called "winter tires" not "snow tires" is that they have softer compounds that don't get hard in cold conditions.  Summer or all-seasons get stiff below 7^oC and don't flex and grip the road properly.

I've driven a Subaru all-wheel drive car at the beginning of winter, before I got the snow tires on, and AWD is not a substitute for winter tires.  I learned the hard way to schedule my tire change earlier.  Oh, and do schedule your tire change early if you are not doing it yourself.  Garages get booked up very fast.

Did anyone mention a winter emergency kit for the car? 

As Malcat said, dress in layers and for the weather.  Remember that you are breathing warm air out but taking in cold air - so in really cold air you should be breathing through a scarf or balaclava.  The fabric is warmed by your exhaled breath and warms the incoming air. Nothing like taking a deep breath of fresh frosty air and freezing your lungs.  In emergencies you can cup your hands around your mouth and nose to keep the air warmer.

Hands - gloves inside a pair of mitts is a versatile choice.  Mitts are much warmer than gloves, but when you need manual dexterity you can take the mitts off and still keep your hands somewhat warm.  I've never tried it, but snowmobiler gear is supposed to be very warm, after all they are just sitting on the snowmobile so are not generating much body heat.

Wool is wonderful, it doesn't chill you when it is damp.  Cotton is horrible.  I always wonder how people can go skiing in jeans.  I guess they never fall and their jeans never get damp?

+1 to all of this. Cold-induced bronchospasm is no fun at all. I do the gloves inside mitts thing too, and usually keep hands in pockets while I'm out walking.

[SunnyDays]

Hands in pockets creates a risk when walking on any slippery surface that you won’t be able to maintain balance very readily.  Especially for someone not used to ice.  It might also cause more injuries if you do fall.  Learning to do the Penguin Shuffle and to keep your centre of balance is important too.

[RetiredAt63]

Hands in pockets creates a risk when walking on any slippery surface that you won’t be able to maintain balance very readily.  Especially for someone not used to ice.  It might also cause more injuries if you do fall.  Learning to do the Penguin Shuffle and to keep your centre of balance is important too.

Penguin Shuffle, I love it. 

I used to curl, running on pebbly ice is a challenge even wearing curling shoes.

[roomtempmayo]

Do you have specific recommendations for footwear?  I've fallen a couple times on icy/snowy walks.  Thankfully I was uninjured (other than a couple bruises) but it's made me very hesitant and anxious.  I'd like to do more walking this winter--likely just on sidewalks or paved surfaces, though there are some trails near my house that I might want to attempt.  But footwear is a concern.  I was wearing Sorels, one of the more oft recommended brands, one of the times I fell.

We have a couple different styles of YakTrax, and they work well.  For patchy black ice on concrete, you probably want the ones that are mostly rubber with little carbide studs.  For solid white ice, the chain versions are better.

[Villanelle]

Do you have specific recommendations for footwear?  I've fallen a couple times on icy/snowy walks.  Thankfully I was uninjured (other than a couple bruises) but it's made me very hesitant and anxious.  I'd like to do more walking this winter--likely just on sidewalks or paved surfaces, though there are some trails near my house that I might want to attempt.  But footwear is a concern.  I was wearing Sorels, one of the more oft recommended brands, one of the times I fell.

We have a couple different styles of YakTrax, and they work well.  For patchy black ice on concrete, you probably want the ones that are mostly rubber with little carbide studs.  For solid white ice, the chain versions are better.

Thanks!

[ChpBstrd]

A piggyback question from another Deep Southerner:

I've heard geothermal heat pumps are hands-down the most energy efficient system that can be bought, but cost a lot to install. It would seem like if I was living in Vermont, I would be most interested in not wasting a bunch of time splitting firewood or feeding a fire all the time and I would not want to spend thousands of dollars per year heating my house. Thus, a geothermal heat pump would be my first instinct. Are these a thing in the cold frozen north?

[anotherAlias]

A piggyback question from another Deep Southerner:

I've heard geothermal heat pumps are hands-down the most energy efficient system that can be bought, but cost a lot to install. It would seem like if I was living in Vermont, I would be most interested in not wasting a bunch of time splitting firewood or feeding a fire all the time and I would not want to spend thousands of dollars per year heating my house. Thus, a geothermal heat pump would be my first instinct. Are these a thing in the cold frozen north?

I have a former coworker that had geo thermal here in Wisconsin.  It had an electric heating element to supplement when it was too cold.  He said his bills were through the roof.  He was an idiot so not completely sure that the geo thermal was completely to blame for the high bills.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[Metalcat]

A piggyback question from another Deep Southerner:

I've heard geothermal heat pumps are hands-down the most energy efficient system that can be bought, but cost a lot to install. It would seem like if I was living in Vermont, I would be most interested in not wasting a bunch of time splitting firewood or feeding a fire all the time and I would not want to spend thousands of dollars per year heating my house. Thus, a geothermal heat pump would be my first instinct. Are these a thing in the cold frozen north?

Well, existing houses usually come with HVAC systems, so few people are going to spend a ton of money to switch.

Developers here don't do them, because they aren't well known, so therefore don't make sense as an additional building cost, since it's not yet a valuable feature to market. Especially since the bore holes need to be drilled so deep due to the extreme cold.

Individuals who build custom homes might opt for them, but again, upfront costs and not being well known will hold people back, so this adds to the inventory of houses that were built with standard HVAC. And retrofitting an existing HVAC is even more expensive.

They may become more popular over time, but they have to become popular before they can become common, and that's hard to pull off. Basically, until every HGTV show starts blathering on about geothermal as a desirable feature the same way they do about open concept layouts and stone countertops, the public demand will not be large enough for developers to switch to geothermal.

[uniwelder]

A piggyback question from another Deep Southerner:

I've heard geothermal heat pumps are hands-down the most energy efficient system that can be bought, but cost a lot to install. It would seem like if I was living in Vermont, I would be most interested in not wasting a bunch of time splitting firewood or feeding a fire all the time and I would not want to spend thousands of dollars per year heating my house. Thus, a geothermal heat pump would be my first instinct. Are these a thing in the cold frozen north?

I have a former coworker that had geo thermal here in Wisconsin.  It had an electric heating element to supplement when it was too cold.  He said his bills were through the roof.  He was an idiot so not completely sure that the geo thermal was completely to blame for the high bills.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

I can't imagine why it would have had backup electric resistance heat.  The point of geothermal is to get it buried deep enough that there is no seasonal variation of ground temperature, or at least be minimized to a few degrees.  Where I live, horizontal loops get buried 7 feet deep.  In a colder area, I would assume its probably more cost effective to drill vertical holes.  Usually there are several that are 200-300 feet deep.

edited to add--- ChpBstrd mentions price of geothermal installation vs efficiency.  The people at GreenBuildingAdvisor, an online forum and energy efficiency site, are based in Vermont and swear by mini-splits and cold climate air source heat pumps, rather than geothermal.  When comparing installation cost to operating cost, they apparently come out on top and can operate to -13F at a COP of 2 ( I think, but maybe thats at -5F) with no issues.

[FINate]

Another vote for proper winter tires. We put our Blizzaks to the test this last winter running up and down the mountain. Steep windy two lane road, lots of snow and ice. They're worth the expense if you're doing any amount of winter driving. Blizzaks excel in snow, whereas X-Ice tires have better ice and dry pavement performance, IMO.

And yes, there's a difference between snow and winter tires. Modern winter tiers are an engineering marvel. Most of the time, in most winter conditions, winter tires outperform studs. Basically, unless you're regularly driving on certain types of ice within a narrow temperature range, you're better off with modern winter tires.

Winter tires don't make you invincible, still need to slow down and avoid large driver inputs. But it does make a big difference.

I have a dedicated set of winter wheels/tires that I swap myself. Pretty easy with a few basic tools and a TPMS programmer.

[TrMama]

A piggyback question from another Deep Southerner:

I've heard geothermal heat pumps are hands-down the most energy efficient system that can be bought, but cost a lot to install. It would seem like if I was living in Vermont, I would be most interested in not wasting a bunch of time splitting firewood or feeding a fire all the time and I would not want to spend thousands of dollars per year heating my house. Thus, a geothermal heat pump would be my first instinct. Are these a thing in the cold frozen north?

I have a former coworker that had geo thermal here in Wisconsin.  It had an electric heating element to supplement when it was too cold.  He said his bills were through the roof.  He was an idiot so not completely sure that the geo thermal was completely to blame for the high bills.

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

I can't imagine why it would have had backup electric resistance heat.  The point of geothermal is to get it buried deep enough that there is no seasonal variation of ground temperature, or at least be minimized to a few degrees.  Where I live, horizontal loops get buried 7 feet deep.  In a colder area, I would assume its probably more cost effective to drill vertical holes.  Usually there are several that are 200-300 feet deep.

edited to add--- ChpBstrd mentions price of geothermal installation vs efficiency.  The people at GreenBuildingAdvisor, an online forum and energy efficiency site, are based in Vermont and swear by mini-splits and cold climate air source heat pumps, rather than geothermal.  When comparing installation cost to operating cost, they apparently come out on top and can operate to -13F at a COP of 2 ( I think, but maybe thats at -5F) with no issues.

We don't live in VT, but air source heat pumps are becoming the new standard for heating (and cooling). However, even air source heat pumps still require electricity to power the fans (air handler) that moves heat from the exterior pump into the house. There's also extra electrical heating that's used to "defrost" the unit when it's used in cold, damp weather. We just had one installed and it required a 240V connection. Although the pump will consume less energy than our baseboard heaters it still requires some and therefore won't work in a power outage. If we lived in a place where winter power outages were a risk, we'd still maintain, and use, a wood or pellet stove. Winter is lots of fun, except for when the inside of your house is suddenly the same temperature as the outside. In fact all types of central heating systems rely on electricity, with the possible exception of rads heated by a boiler.

[GodlessCommie]

This company identified NY State as the best market for geothermal, for some reason. Vermont is the same latitude as upstate NY, so it may work.

The trick with Dandelion is, I think, scale + attractive financing. The latter may be unavailable to smaller installers.

https://dandelionenergy.com/

[Ecky]

Air source heat pumps are great. They lose efficiency as it gets colder, but mine still pumps out heat even when it's subzero. I think it's best to pair them with a supplemental heat source such as wood though, so you're not running them hardest when they're least efficient.

[habanero]

If you go deep enough geothermal is invariant for temperature and has a constant COP as the groundwater used for the heat exchange has constant temperature. They are however quite expensive to install and in reality only work well with floor heating or radiators than can operate with a low temperature on the circulating water. It is also a more complex technical installation so if/when something breaks outside the warranty period repairs can be costly. I looked a bit into it when we renovated our house and with remarkably little resistance the contractors installing these openly admitted that it didn't pay off. For places with lower installation costs and/or more expensive electric energy it might look different of course. Air-air heat pumps generally pay off as they have pretty high COP for most of the heating season and installation is much cheaper.

The problem is that when it gets really cold and you need 'em the most the COP drops towards 1 or even below as the defrosting also requires some energy in addition to the heat pumped into the house. They are awsome for climates where it never, or rarely gets very cold (say below 5F). I want one or two but the interior police has objected so we don't have one. I have air/water which in reality is way too small for our house, but due to various incentives I got it pretty much for free so it was worth it as it provides savings of ~600 USD / year in heating costs for us.

[jpvt128]

Chiming in as a Vermonter, I live about 1.5-2hrs north of where you're moving to. The Killington area is very nice. As many people have advised, it's all about getting outside and finding hobbies to enjoy during the winter. You're in an excellent area for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and winter hiking. Yak traks and/or winter hiking spikes would be a great idea for helping to get out. There are a number of state parks and WMA (public land- wildlife management areas) you'll be close to for exploring. The VT state sites have all kinds of information.

Killington itself is a fun ski town with lots of bars and restaurants for the occasional night out. You'll also be a reasonable distance (30min) from Woodstock and Quechee which are nice small towns worth spending time in. Rutland is a working class smaller city also around 30 min with larger chains and grocery stores including the only Aldi in VT.

Your closest wholesale club is a BJs in West Lebanon, NH (less than an hr). You're a bit out of luck on Costco- closest is around 2 hrs in 3 different directions- Albany NY, Manchester NH, and Burlington VT areas.

For outdoor clothing/sporting goods, if you need to buy anything new, I'd encourage you to check out the outlet shops in Lake George NY (1hr). There are Eddie Bauer, Orvis, and LL Bean outlets. There's an Eddie Bauer Outlet in Manchester VT (45min) as well.

For the conversation around heat pumps, check out https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/. This site will detail the financial incentives available for heat pump purchases and can do energy audits on your new home.

Other Purchases- snow tires, www.tirerack.com has been best for me. I would also mount them on a second set of steel rims. Wal-mart, Amazon, Craiglist or FB Marketplace. Steel rims are fine to purchase used.

Welcome to VT. Winter is what you make of it.

[FLBiker]

Air source heat pumps are great. They lose efficiency as it gets colder, but mine still pumps out heat even when it's subzero. I think it's best to pair them with a supplemental heat source such as wood though, so you're not running them hardest when they're least efficient.

This is how we're set up -- we have a minisplit heat pump (the aforementioned Fujitsu Halcyon) and a pellet stove.  Last winter (our first in Canada) it worked great.  And we did use a bit of electric baseboard (my wife would use it for a couple of hours in her office when she was working from home) but our electric bill wasn't bad.  It was just one room for a couple of hours a day, though.  She basically used it like a space heater.

[Car Jack]

I'm a lifelong New Englander, living in the woods, although suburbia was built up around my property 20 years ago.  First a few things about me, then some tips.

Complete self sufficiency.  If it snows, I have a snowplow on my 4 door Wrangler with 4 snow tires.  If there's too much snow, I use my 4 wheel drive Kubota diesel tractor bucket to move the snow into piles (snow farms) in the woods.  If the power goes away, who cares.  I have a 5500W generator and always have at least 10 gallons of extra gas in the garage (part of my supermarket/gift card gas scams...I never pay more than $1.50 a gallon).  Yes, I rotate the gas, so new cans come in and I put the old stuff in the cars.

On electric heat.  Anyone in New England will laugh their ass off at the notion that anyone would use electricity.  Our rates are at the top, matched only by California and I think Hawaii.  I lived in Virginia during grad school.  Mass rates are double Virginia.  Why?  We're all powered by natural gas and the pipelines (we have a transfer station in my town) are woefully inadequate and any submission for new or upgraded lines are shot down by powerful residents.

Snow tires.  I've used them all.  I ditched studs one year and actually took my side cutters and removed them from all my tires.  Why?  Non snow covered, wet roads, I come over a hill and there's an accident.  Some clown pulls out of the pile of cars right in front of me.  I engage ABS and pretty much do no slowing as the studs are now steel sliders.  Only missed the guy because he kept moving out of my way.  Do NOT use studs if there's any chance of driving on non ice covered roads.  There are plenty of good ones out there.  As a short primer, performance snows are ok and handle really well.  "Real snows" have squishy sidewalls and tons of tread and will have far more grip in snow.  Blizzaks, Hakkas, Digitec, Arctic...I've had them all.  As long as it's a snow, it's going to be far better than no season tires.

4 wheel drive.  What is your driveway and road like and do you really need to get anywhere?  Honest question.  If you have a 50 foot driveway and your road is plowed, you don't need 4 wheel drive (or AWD).  Will it hurt?  No.  Seems like half the cars in Vermont are pre-95 Subarus, so if you find a car you like and it happens to be AWD, that ain't bad.  If you have a driveway like mine....up a hill from the road and 800 feet long and you get 18 inches of heavy, wet snow while you're away, no, that Subaru isn't getting up the driveway, even with snows.  My Wrangler is set up with skinny, tall snows for ground clearance.  18", I can manage.  24", nope.  36" (yes, we've had that much overnight), plan on hours of plowing for a property like mine.

Dress in layers.  You absolutely do not need fancy smancy big dollar REI stuff.  Burlington Coat Factory has cheapo 3rd world made stuff that's warm.  Long sleeve T short followed by a sweat shirt followed in really cold weather by a faux ski jacket is fine.  Get a set of ski warm up bib pants for really cold shoveling duty.  Gloves, get a packet of cheapo leather gloves from Harbor Freight.  They wear well and from memory (just picked up another pack last week) a pack of 5 sets is like nine bucks.  For really cold stuff, a pair of cheap snowmobile gloves covers your wrists up your arms.  When shoveling, you WILL start to sweat.  When you do, shed a layer.

Boots: snowmobile boots are great for getting through new, really deep snow.  I've got a bunch of these as we used to have snowmobiles.  All of them are from Burlington Coat Factory, so they cost like $29 a pair rather than $229 from some snowmobile shop.  Otherwise, hiking boots are great.  These don't have to be expensive.  Dicks/Carbellas have a bargain room and good sales.  I've never paid more than $49 for a pair of good ones.

Wood burning.  Sigh.  So I forest manage my property for tax savings and for firewood.  I've got both a Stihl pro and Husqvarna little (440) chainsaws, a log splitter and that 4x4 diesel tractor with a bucket to move it (and a cart).  My property tax savings make it worth it, I love working in the woods and I love saving the money for heating oil, which 90% of homes in New England are heated by.  But if I could not get the wood for free, I would never go through the expense and work of heating with wood.  Yes, I have covered stacks seasoning and kindling ready.  I heat with a wood forced air furnace that's in the unfinished basement.  It is a LOT of work schlepping in straps of wood.  How I start it is a paper grocery bag of burnable paper/cardboard, a second bag of twigs and kindling and some small starter wood.  Once up and running, I'll feed in regular pieces of split wood.  I feed more in every hour and a half to 2 hours.  A cold day will use a pile about 4 feet by 4 feet against the basement wall.  Our house is 2800 square feet and the 2nd floor is post and beam with cathedral ceilings, so it is a lot of space to heat.  I burn everything I cut, so now and then a piece of pine is going in there...usually to get stuff started and as part of the kindling.  But most of my property is oak, beech and maple.

Learn to like winter.  Cross country ski.  Or get a snowmobile.  Or something.  If you like winter (I do), you do great.  If not, you will move away as winter in central VT is pretty long.

Culture:  I learned the difference when living in Virginia.  It is very different.  People are not outwardly nice or go out of their way to welcome you.  We have a long winter so need to get stuff done before the snow comes....get outa my way.  I found in Virginia that people tried to "out polite" each other.  You don't get that up here.  I was at the 4 way stop 3 miliseconds before you, I'm going, get off my lawn.  But you can certainly make friends.  It simply takes time and maybe a little effort and the willingness to help out when needed.  Neighbor is chainsawing up a tree that fell.  Go over and help move the limbs to a pile.  Bring the mis-directed mail to the correct mailbox.  If you like to be left alone, that won't be a problem.

You're not going to find a lot of Red State opinions.  Remember Bernie Sanders is the senior Senator from Vermont.  It's pretty easy to just keep politics to yourself, if you want.

Oh, and there are more taxes on average in Vermont than anywhere else, so just don't be surprised.  If you want less taxes, move south to Mass.  While NH has no income or sales tax, property tax and a slew of other nickle and dime taxes make up the difference and southern NH housing is not cheap.

[Sanitary Stache]

Remember Bernie Sanders is the senior Senator from Vermont.

Funny enough, Bernie is the Junior Senator from Vermont. Our senior senator is Patrick Leahy, the longest serving senator in the Senate currently. Bernie was in the House for a long time before becoming a senator.

Also our governor is a Republican, not a Red State republican, but a New England republican, or he tries to be.

[Ecky]

  I found in Virginia that people tried to "out polite" each other.  You don't get that up here.  I was at the 4 way stop 3 miliseconds before you, I'm going, get off my lawn.

This is absolutely not the case in Vermont. If anything, there is excessive delay at stop signs because everyone is trying to "no, after you" everyone else, to the point people are blatantly ignoring right of way. Ditto if a car needs to turn across traffic - someone is likely to stop a line of traffic to let them through.

I'd say that's how people from Mass are characterized, however.

[Morning Glory]

Side question about heating:
I am a Midwesterner. I've always had a gas forced air furnace.  When I lived in town it was natural gas on lines and in the country it was propane we had delivered. I don't understand why this isn't common in New England. The electricity or oil choices seem really expensive, and wood isn't practical for everyone.  I'm not even sure what a mini-split is.

[habanero]

I'm not even sure what a mini-split is.

It's pretty much a heat pump, the "split" part refers to several indoor units allowing to control temp on a per-room basis. You don't need several indoor untis per se, but it is possible.

A heat pump takes heat from the air outside, provides some thermodynamic wizardry and pumps hot air into the room. If you put in 1 unit of electric energy you get X units of heat into the room where X is higher than 1. X is also referred to as COP - coefficient of performance, as a measure of how much extra energy you get. This number drops off as it gets colder outside and eventually, if it gets really cold, you don't get any extra benefit from it and you might just as well heat with baseboard electric heating.

They are pretty easy to retrofit as they don't require any indoor piping/ducts. All the action happens outside and you pretty much just need to make a small hole in the outer wall to connect the interior and exterior parts of the system.

[Ecky]

Side question about heating:
I am a Midwesterner. I've always had a gas forced air furnace.  When I lived in town it was natural gas on lines and in the country it was propane we had delivered. I don't understand why this isn't common in New England. The electricity or oil choices seem really expensive, and wood isn't practical for everyone.  I'm not even sure what a mini-split is.

Right now, propane is one of the most expensive ways to heat in Vermont, above oil and second only to resistive electric heat.

Gas < Heat pump ~ wood < wood pellets <<< oil << propane << restive electric

[Morning Glory]

Thanks for the explanations @habanero  & @Ecky . We had an energy audit done at our last house a few years ago and the recommendation was to stay with propane and seal and insulate the attic better. The only mention of a heat pump was to consider one if our air conditioner went out and that it could also be used for heating during fall/spring but that it wouldn't be efficient to use during winter. We rarely used our ac and it never went out.

[Ecky]

Thanks for the explanations @habanero  & @Ecky . We had an energy audit done at our last house a few years ago and the recommendation was to stay with propane and seal and insulate the attic better. The only mention of a heat pump was to consider one if our air conditioner went out and that it could also be used for heating during fall/spring but that it wouldn't be efficient to use during winter. We rarely used our ac and it never went out.

Central air systems are generally less efficient than "mini split" systems, so that may be part of it. Also, electricity and fuel costs vary a lot across the country. Where I live, the cost per BTU of propane is in the ballpark of 2x more expensive.

A modern, high efficiency mini split can pump out heat at nearly -30F, albeit not efficiently, and still seems to be highly efficient down below 10F.

[RumBurgundy]

edited to add--- a wall unit mini split in the basement would be a great way to heat it, but I don't know how effective that would be for the level above.  Is there insulation at the basement ceiling?  You should probably think about your plan for finishing the basement and if you'd be putting any walls that would block air flow.  You'd probably want to insulate the basement walls too, otherwise that's a huge heat sink.

There is not currently insulation on the basement ceiling, and I had thought about looking into heating the basement with a heat pump and seeing how much that helped the 1st floor. The basement walls are currently sheathed in what looks like ~1.5" white expanded polystyrene. Home inspector recommended tearing out all the existing foam since it is not labeled and the R value is an unknown. Not sure I'll do *that* though.

[SunnyDays]

Why would you have to tear out the insulation? If it's value is dubious, just put up studs and rockwool on top of it.

[RumBurgundy]

Lastly, you don’t really need awd  or 4wd. What you need is a set of blizzak tires and FWD is perfectly acceptable for 95% of days. The other days you just stay home or get a friend with a Subaru to pick you up! Studded snow tires are good too, little overkill in my opinion, but if your driveway is steep and long then I would consider it.

PS. Killington is great! Jealous.

Thanks! Definitely heard different opinions on vehicles but also hearing multiple people say the same thing that FWD is ok with the right tires. I'm happy with the economical (and paid off) Hondas that my partner and I already have. Had a few people tell me I'll want a pickup truck but I'll see if I can avoid that.

You might also want a command start on your car to avoid having to run out in the cold to get it warmed up.  Even a car warmer will only take the chill off on the coldest days.  If you have heated seats, even better.

If you're really leery of winter driving, a few lessons from a driving school might be worth it.  Even here, people forget how to drive every November.

I'll have an electrical outlet near my driveway/parking pad (oh yeah, I won't have a garage!) so I may need to look into a car warmer, assuming that's something that you plug in and leave set on a timer.

Your basement might be unfinished for a reason, so wait a couple years before doing anything down there. PI've had three houses and all of them had occasional water in the basement.  Not a big deal if it's unfinished, just mop it up. You can build some raised shelves to use the space for storage.

Not sure I can wait a few years but I'll definitely be watching. By "finished" I wasn't thinking of laying carpet or any other kind of fancy flooring. Probably just poured concrete with a rug on top. The house has been in the same family for over 30 years and they only used it as a seasonal vacation home and never rented it so I'm hoping that's why the basement wasn't finished. (ceilings are also low, but if I can stand upright at 6'2, I'm happy)

 I just bought quality name brand studded snows from the tire rack.  I also bought dedicated rims from them for a reasonable price.  If you buy together they will mount/balance for free and you get the whole package delivered to your door so you don't have to mess with going to the shop.  Then you can buy cheaper 3 season tires for your normal rims.  You might get lucky and find some junkyard rims but then the tire shop will get you for $25 a tire to mount them each time.  

I didn't even think about buying rims from the tire shop. Good idea.

[RumBurgundy]

Just a heads up- while chimney cleaning is typically a pretty easy DIY project, there might be a very good reason why your inspector was emphatic about not doing it yourself. 

I've cleaned a lot of chimneys at a lot of houses (part of a volunteer crew that does this for the elderly in our community every fall).  Some are easy to clean, some are very much not. 

My house is easy.  Just a quick peak up the chimney with a mirror and good light.  Then run the brush up from the cleanout in the basement. It's all steel lined so there's never much creosote, just a bit of soot to clean up. 

However some chimneys are a stone cold bitch to do. You can sometimes only clean them from the top down. Which means going up on sometimes sketchy roofs. The cleanouts can be blocked, poorly placed, or hard to get to in such a way that makes inspections and cleaning difficult.  There can also sometimes be issues with the lining in chimneys that makes them difficult to inspect and clean properly.   

If you've never cleaned a chimney, might be worth paying somebody to do it or maybe asking an experienced neighbor to help to learn how it's done.  A chimney fire is something you definitely, definitely do not want to experience.

I am fascinated by this aspect that is turning out to be so critical. We have lucked out in that there was a property manager employed by the previous owner and he has given us some tips about maintaining the house. He is familiar with multiple chimneys done by the same builder/architect and has said ours is relatively large and does not need to be cleaned annually necessarily.

[RumBurgundy]

Honestly, I would embrace the winter as much as possible.  Find some outdoor activities you enjoy - hiking before the snow comes, snowshoeing and nordic skiing after the snow.  There are lots of places that rent snowshoes and nordic skis so you can see if you enjoy it before you buy equipment.  Get out in the sunshine as much as possible, and if you are cold, figure out how you'll improve your clothing next time.  Enjoy your new surroundings and everything that make them unique.

THIS x1000.

@RumBurgundy - I know you didn't specifically ask about the mental side of living in VT / New England, but I think it's worth discussing. I live in New Hampshire. It can be depressing AF when it's 5:00pm, dark, and freezing outside. I have to watch my mood closely in the winter; it can be hard to leave for work when it's dark outside and come home when it's dark outside. It makes you want to go to bed! And then you look at the clock and you realize it's only 5:05pm.

Here are some thoughts to counteract the winter blues -

This was super thoughtful. Thank you for taking the time to write that.
I have a dear friend who lives near Portland ME and he has complained about the winters to the point that I was worried I was underestimating what they'll be like, I was originally thinking he was just being dramatic but I can look at your list of suggestions and I know he's  definitely doing #5 or #6!

[Metalcat]

Lastly, you don’t really need awd  or 4wd. What you need is a set of blizzak tires and FWD is perfectly acceptable for 95% of days. The other days you just stay home or get a friend with a Subaru to pick you up! Studded snow tires are good too, little overkill in my opinion, but if your driveway is steep and long then I would consider it.

PS. Killington is great! Jealous.

Thanks! Definitely heard different opinions on vehicles but also hearing multiple people say the same thing that FWD is ok with the right tires. I'm happy with the economical (and paid off) Hondas that my partner and I already have. Had a few people tell me I'll want a pickup truck but I'll see if I can avoid that.

I live in a very snowy part of Canada and have never needed AWD and can't imagine what I would need a pickup truck for???

My parents have always had AWD, but that's because they live out in a rural community on a very steep dirt road hill with a big hump at the end. My previous small cars (Sunfire, Corolla, Sonic), have all been able to get up that hill for the vast majority of the winter, except on really icy days.

My sister lives on a similar hill, but with no big hump at the end, and she has managed just fine with her Honda Fit.

That said, if you aren't accustom to winter driving, not having AWD could scare the shit out of you. I *strongly* suggest taking a winter driving course. My ex had taken one and despite him having never owned a car, and me having commuted hours per day in winter, he was demonstrably the superior winter driver just because of a weekend course. So I took the same course and it made my life so much better.

[Cranky]

Lastly, you don’t really need awd  or 4wd. What you need is a set of blizzak tires and FWD is perfectly acceptable for 95% of days. The other days you just stay home or get a friend with a Subaru to pick you up! Studded snow tires are good too, little overkill in my opinion, but if your driveway is steep and long then I would consider it.

PS. Killington is great! Jealous.

Thanks! Definitely heard different opinions on vehicles but also hearing multiple people say the same thing that FWD is ok with the right tires. I'm happy with the economical (and paid off) Hondas that my partner and I already have. Had a few people tell me I'll want a pickup truck but I'll see if I can avoid that.

I live in a very snowy part of Canada and have never needed AWD and can't imagine what I would need a pickup truck for???

My parents have always had AWD, but that's because they live out in a rural community on a very steep dirt road hill with a big hump at the end. My previous small cars (Sunfire, Corolla, Sonic), have all been able to get up that hill for the vast majority of the winter, except on really icy days.

My sister lives on a similar hill, but with no big hump at the end, and she has managed just fine with her Honda Fit.

That said, if you aren't accustom to winter driving, not having AWD could scare the shit out of you. I *strongly* suggest taking a winter driving course. My ex had taken one and despite him having never owned a car, and me having commuted hours per day in winter, he was demonstrably the superior winter driver just because of a weekend course. So I took the same course and it made my life so much better.

Dh loved the AWD in Youngstown because so much of the city didn’t get plowed out and the snow could go from snow to a nice base layer of ice pretty fast.

The plowing here is Wisconsin seems a lot prompter. We did ask the dealer about buying winter tires and we’re told we wouldn’t need them unless we did a lot of rural winter driving, which we will not.

[RetiredAt63]

We did ask the dealer about buying winter tires and we’re told we wouldn’t need them unless we did a lot of rural winter driving, which we will not.

It isn't the type of road, it is the temperature.  Below 7^oC(45^oF) all-season tires lose flexibility.  Get into real winter temperatures and your tires just don't hold the road well.  Winter tires are made of much softer compounds so they stay flexible in the cold.    Then you start thinking about the kind of driving you do.  Mostly cleared road?  One type of tread.  Mostly fresh snow? Different tread.  A lot of packed icy snow?  Different tread again.  Your dealer obviously is ignorant, go to a tire specialist.  My dealer knows tires, we discuss what kind of driving I do before I buy tires, all-season or winter.

If you get the winter tires mounted on steel rims it is easy to change tires.  And since you are not driving on your all-seasons during the winter they last longer.

AWD is not a substitute for winter tires.  I have driven AWD cars and believe me, I have done the sliding over icy roads if I didn't get my winter tires on early enough.

To show I live up to my advice, my appointment for my Mazda to get the winter tires on is November 4.  Even though the snow doesn't stay until well into December, it snows in November.  I remember one Remembrance Day where we had 6" of heavy wet snow.  I can also remember heavy wet snow in mid-April.  Winter tires are on the car almost half the year, basically.  I live in a city and most of my driving is in town, and the rest is on cleared highway.  I'm retired, I can avoid driving in snow.  I still put winter tires on the car.

[Mr. Green]

Tire hardness is a rating that can be considered when buying new tires. Usually it coincides with mileage warranties. If you still prefer an all-season you can always shoot for a tire with a hardness in the three or four hundreds vs the seven hundreds. That will work with the lower temps a little better.

[RetiredAt63]

Tire hardness is a rating that can be considered when buying new tires. Usually it coincides with mileage warranties. If you still prefer an all-season you can always shoot for a tire with a hardness in the three or four hundreds vs the seven hundreds. That will work with the lower temps a little better.

It depends on how cold the cold temperatures are.  We are talking Vermont.  So easily in the -20s and -30s.

If I lived someplace where winter maybe went down to -2C occasionally I would probably do what you are suggesting, go with soft all seasons.

[FINate]

Tire hardness is a rating that can be considered when buying new tires. Usually it coincides with mileage warranties. If you still prefer an all-season you can always shoot for a tire with a hardness in the three or four hundreds vs the seven hundreds. That will work with the lower temps a little better.

It depends on how cold the cold temperatures are.  We are talking Vermont.  So easily in the -20s and -30s.

If I lived someplace where winter maybe went down to -2C occasionally I would probably do what you are suggesting, go with soft all seasons.

The CrossClimate 2 tire is a good option for this.

[verfrugal]

A little late to the party, but I'm in Rutland and thought I would say hello!

I would not worry about buying a new car, just getting good winter tires is sufficient.  Unless your driveway is particularly gnarly, and unplowed, you won't need studs.  Just get some winter tires from one of the local shops and you will be fine.  If you are a first-responder or otherwise have to go on back roads that are not plowed, than you might need more -- but your coworkers will be your best resource then.  I wouldn't bother with dedicated rims for the winter tires either.

I also echo the sentiment that you need to own the winter, and make sure you make the most of the light and the outdoor options.  There is great XC and downhill skiing here, or ice fishing, or sledding, or snow biking, or snowshoeing.  More so if you have a relationship with drinking or drugs.  Winters are long, days are short, and it's funny all the little things that can't happen, or that become difficult when you throw in ice and snow and cold.  Keep chill, which is not hard in VT, and enjoy the scenery.

Some good duck boots (LL Bean?), or muck boots are important too -- lots of snow and slush mixed with salt.

Good gloves and a hat will become prized possessions, as will good socks.  Darn Tough, is assumed.  Good house slippers will be treasured.  WRT long underwear, while wool is the best, you may find it irritating after days and days on your skin.  I have a mix of wool, synthetic and blends, and in varying weights.

If you need social interaction, check out the Rutland Rocks curling club -- they do "learn to curl" sessions frequently (pre covid at least).

Since I moved here, about 8 years ago, I have enjoyed my motorcycle riding, trail running, and skiing (any mode you can think of), foraging -- all of which get me into the woods.  Moving thru the woods all year round, thru all the seasons (except mud season, heh) gives me great joy.

Yah, Mud Season is a thing, when the spring rains come and melt the snow and ice..  Along with Stick Season, after the leaves go, but before the snow, it's what gives VT 6 seasons.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Chiming in as a Vermonter, I live about 1.5-2hrs north of where you're moving to. The Killington area is very nice. As many people have advised, it's all about getting outside and finding hobbies to enjoy during the winter. You're in an excellent area for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and winter hiking. Yak traks and/or winter hiking spikes would be a great idea for helping to get out. There are a number of state parks and WMA (public land- wildlife management areas) you'll be close to for exploring. The VT state sites have all kinds of information.

Killington itself is a fun ski town with lots of bars and restaurants for the occasional night out. You'll also be a reasonable distance (30min) from Woodstock and Quechee which are nice small towns worth spending time in. Rutland is a working class smaller city also around 30 min with larger chains and grocery stores including the only Aldi in VT.

Your closest wholesale club is a BJs in West Lebanon, NH (less than an hr). You're a bit out of luck on Costco- closest is around 2 hrs in 3 different directions- Albany NY, Manchester NH, and Burlington VT areas.

For outdoor clothing/sporting goods, if you need to buy anything new, I'd encourage you to check out the outlet shops in Lake George NY (1hr). There are Eddie Bauer, Orvis, and LL Bean outlets. There's an Eddie Bauer Outlet in Manchester VT (45min) as well.

For the conversation around heat pumps, check out https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/. This site will detail the financial incentives available for heat pump purchases and can do energy audits on your new home.

Other Purchases- snow tires, www.tirerack.com has been best for me. I would also mount them on a second set of steel rims. Wal-mart, Amazon, Craiglist or FB Marketplace. Steel rims are fine to purchase used.

Welcome to VT. Winter is what you make of it.

There's an Aldi in Bennington too.

Vermont rocks. We're residents in the Northeast Kingdom, right on the NH/Canadian borders. Have yet to spend a winter there but it's on the list (after we spend a lot of winters in the Caribbean and other warm sailing places!)

[FIRE 20/20]

Snow tires.  I've used them all.  I ditched studs one year and actually took my side cutters and removed them from all my tires.  Why?  Non snow covered, wet roads, I come over a hill and there's an accident.  Some clown pulls out of the pile of cars right in front of me.  I engage ABS and pretty much do no slowing as the studs are now steel sliders.  Only missed the guy because he kept moving out of my way.  Do NOT use studs if there's any chance of driving on non ice covered roads.  There are plenty of good ones out there.  As a short primer, performance snows are ok and handle really well.  "Real snows" have squishy sidewalls and tons of tread and will have far more grip in snow.  Blizzaks, Hakkas, Digitec, Arctic...I've had them all.  As long as it's a snow, it's going to be far better than no season tires.

4 wheel drive.  What is your driveway and road like and do you really need to get anywhere?  Honest question.  If you have a 50 foot driveway and your road is plowed, you don't need 4 wheel drive (or AWD).  Will it hurt?  No.  Seems like half the cars in Vermont are pre-95 Subarus, so if you find a car you like and it happens to be AWD, that ain't bad.  If you have a driveway like mine....up a hill from the road and 800 feet long and you get 18 inches of heavy, wet snow while you're away, no, that Subaru isn't getting up the driveway, even with snows.  My Wrangler is set up with skinny, tall snows for ground clearance.  18", I can manage.  24", nope.  36" (yes, we've had that much overnight), plan on hours of plowing for a property like mine.

I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to +1 everything @Car Jack said.  I did quite a bit of both ice racing and snow racing (in cars), and other than driver skill and experience it's the tires that make the difference.  I have also written winter tire reviews, so I have a lot of experience with different brands and types of winter tires.  I would break winter tires (NOT snow tires, as @RetiredAt63 correctly pointed out) into 4 categories.  All-weather tires (not to be confused with all-season tires), performance winter tires, winter tires, and studded winter tires. 
All-weather tires are essentially a new category of winter tires, and as of a few years ago the brand Nokian had the first and only in this category.  They are real winter tires with the snowflake emblem on the tire, but can be used year round.  While they're vastly better than all-season tires (which do not have the snowflake on the sidewall) I would only recommend them for someone who simply cannot store and change an extra set of tires.  If you live in an apartment or a 500 sq. ft. house with no storage, then they're an acceptable option.
Performance winter tires, as Car Jack correctly pointed out, handle almost like all-season tires in the dry but do much better than all-season tires in cold, slush, snow, and on ice.  If you are picky about how your car handles in the dry and can minimize time on snowy/icy roads, then they're a great option.  They probably get you to 90% of the capability of the next category of tires in winter conditions, but without the slushy handling of the next category.
Winter tires are the most common category, and are what people mean when they talk about Blizzak-style tires.  Blizzaks are just a brand name, like Kleenex, that is often used for a category even though Bridgestone has long had a Performance version (Blizzak LM....) of the Blizzaks just to capitalize on the brand name.  This category of tires will generally give you the best performance in cold, slush, packed snow, and deep snow.  The drawbacks are that they feel sloppy to drive on - every input is delayed a bit.  People describe this as feeling like they're driving on mud or like the tires are underinflated.  This feeling is something you can get used to pretty quickly.  For people who live where there is a real winter and they need to drive in all conditions, I think these are the best option.  As long as you expect slightly worse handling and stopping than you're used to with all-season tires in the dry, you'll be fine.  And the upside is that when the conditions are less than ideal you'll have the best possible control of your vehicle. 
The final category is studded tires.  Again, Car Jack was correct.  Studded tires do help on ice, but they hurt pretty much everywhere else.  They're also loud, contribute to air pollution, tear up the roads, and can slide on roads that aren't covered in ice.  I wouldn't recommend them unless the conditions in your area mean you'll be driving on bare ice very often. 

I like and have bought lots of tires from the Tire Rack, and at this link you can see the different categories.  https://www.tirerack.com/tires/types/category.jsp?category=WINTER_SNOW
However, the Tire Rack doesn't sell Nokian tires and I'm a huge fan of basically their entire range of tires.  You can't go wrong ordering a wheel and tire package from the Tire Rack with any highly rated tire from whatever category best fits your needs.  But you also wouldn't go wrong (other than from a $$$ perspective) buying a wheel/tire package from a local dealer who sells Nokians.  I'm a big fan of the non-studded Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3, if you do decide on Nokians. 

Other than Nokian, I'm not going to recommend a particular brand.  Every brand has had good and bad models, and the leaders switch places each year.  Michelin hit a home run with the X-Ice a few years ago, while before that Blizzaks were far and away the best in harsh conditions.  After the X-Ice held the crown, Continental hit a home run with the VikingContact.  But really any and all of them would be so much better than any all-season tire that it doesn't really matter that much. 

[DirtDiva]

[quote author=SunnyDays link=topic=124000.msg2903374

For clothing, layers are best.  Thermal underwear, then your regular clothes, probably 3 different weights of coats, light for early fall and spring, then medium weight (3 in one's are good), then a parka with hood for dead of winter.  Scarf, mitts/gloves, hats, boots.  Ice grips for the boots.

[/quote]

LOL/ we live in Colorado, not exactly a brutal-winter location.  Yesterday our new neighbors (freshly relocated from Arizona) had on parkas with fur-lined hoods, hats, and winter mittens.  I was like “Dude! It’s almost 50F out here!”😂.

I guess it depends on what you are accustomed to.

[FINate]

LOL/ we live in Colorado, not exactly a brutal-winter location.  Yesterday our new neighbors (freshly relocated from Arizona) had on parkas with fur-lined hoods, hats, and winter mittens.  I was like “Dude! It’s almost 50F out here!”😂.

I guess it depends on what you are accustomed to.

This was DW last winter after we moved from CA to ID :) She (and the entire family) has adapted quickly. A few days ago we went for a walk in 21F and she brought a lighter jacket and no gloves and was fine, and the kids walk home from school in tee shirts in 30F. I think it helps that we do a lot of skiing in single digits and low teens.