If your home heats with oil, part of this winter’s bill is being set a long way from your furnace.
Since the American war with Iran began in February, retail heating oil prices have risen about 42 per cent in most of Canada, Global News reported on October 26, 2026. Natural Resources Canada put the average furnace oil price at just under $2.50 a litre that week, up from $1.76 before the war. In St. John’s, CTV News found that filling a standard 900-litre tank on October 3 would have cost about $1,950 before tax.
The impact isn’t spread evenly. About a quarter of households in Atlantic Canada heat with furnace oil, compared with roughly seven per cent across the country, according to Natural Resources Canada data reported by CTV News. But whatever fuel you use, the same question applies this winter: how much of the heat you pay for is your home actually keeping?
The Part You Can't Control, and the Part You Can
No homeowner can do much about the price of oil, gas or electricity. Those numbers move with world events, refinery schedules and policy decisions. What you can influence is how much heat your home needs to stay comfortable, and that comes down to how well the house holds on to it.
That’s the building envelope: the roof, walls, foundation, windows and doors that separate warm indoor air from a cold Canadian winter. When the envelope leaks heat, the furnace runs longer to make up the difference, whatever the fuel costs that month.
Where Windows and Doors Fit
Natural Resources Canada estimates that windows, doors and skylights can account for up to 35 per cent of a home’s total heat loss. The words “up to” matter. In some homes the bigger issue is the attic, the basement or air leaking through gaps elsewhere. In others, older windows and a tired entry door are a large part of the problem.
That’s why we’d caution against anyone who promises a specific saving from new windows before they’ve seen your home. The honest answer depends on the age and condition of what you have now, how your house is built, how you heat it and where you live.
Signs Your Windows or Doors Are a Weak Point
You don’t need an energy audit to notice the common signs. On a cold day, look and feel for:
- A chill or draft when you sit near a window, even with it closed and locked
- Frost or heavy condensation on the inside of the glass on cold mornings
- Fog or moisture trapped between the panes that won’t wipe away
- Daylight or moving air around the edges of an entry or patio door
- A room you avoid in winter, or one that only feels comfortable with a space heater running
One of these on its own isn’t a verdict. Several together, especially in a home with original or decades-old windows and doors, are a good sign it’s time to look at replacement.
What New Windows and Doors Can and Can't Do
Properly installed energy-efficient windows make homes more comfortable by reducing drafts and keeping the room side of the glass warmer, which also reduces condensation, according to Natural Resources Canada. New replacement windows and entry doors can help reduce heat loss through the openings in your walls. In practice, that often shows up first as comfort: a living room you can sit in near the window, an entryway that doesn’t feel like the outdoors.
What they can’t do is change the price of fuel, or fix heat loss that’s happening somewhere else in the house. That’s why the best starting point isn’t the bill. It’s the rooms.
“When someone tells me their heating bill jumped, the first thing I ask is where in the house they feel cold,” says Sherry, a product specialist at EcoTech. “That usually tells us more about what’s going on than the bill does.”
The Takeaway: Start With the Rooms, Not the Bill
Higher prices have brought new government attention to heating costs. Ottawa has announced a heat pump rebate for early next year, though details weren’t final as of late October 2026, and existing programs change often. Before you plan a project around an incentive, check the program’s official page for your province and confirm what’s covered. Many focus on heating systems rather than windows and doors.
You also don’t have to wait for spring to start. A consultation in winter is often the best time to see your home’s weak spots for yourself, because the drafts and cold glass are easiest to notice when it’s cold outside.
Fuel prices are out of your hands this winter. How much heat your home lets go is not. Start by noticing where you feel the cold, treat windows and doors as one part of the picture rather than the whole story, and be wary of anyone quoting savings before they’ve seen your home. When you’re ready, book a no-obligation in-home consultation.
At EcoTech Windows & Doors, we’ve been replacing windows and doors in Canadian homes since 2001, with locations across Ontario and in Halifax/Dartmouth and Edmonton. Our product specialists look at the openings in your home, talk through where you feel the cold, and help you decide which windows or doors are worth replacing first and which options suit your home. Book a no-obligation in-home consultation with an EcoTech product specialist, or call 1-888-880-6827.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will new windows and doors lower my heating bill?
They can help reduce heat loss through the openings in your walls. Natural Resources Canada estimates that windows, doors and skylights can account for up to 35 per cent of a home’s total heat loss, but how much changes in your home depends on the age and condition of what you have now, how the house is built, how you heat it and where you live. That’s why we don’t quote a savings figure before we’ve seen your home. Many homeowners notice the difference first as comfort: fewer drafts and warmer glass.
2. Is winter a good time to book a window and door consultation?
Yes. Drafts, cold glass and condensation are easiest to spot when it’s cold outside, so a winter consultation lets you and a product specialist see your home’s weak points for yourselves. The consultation is no-obligation.
3. Are there rebates for new windows and doors right now?
Programs change often. Ottawa has announced a heat pump rebate for early next year, but details weren’t final as of late October 2026, and many current programs focus on heating systems rather than windows and doors. Before you plan around an incentive, check the program’s official page for your province and confirm what’s covered.
