So you researched and read about all the things you should do to prep your home for winter, and maybe you had the best intentions of taking care of most if not all of those things before the cold arrived. But maybe - for whatever reason(s) - you never got around to [...]

There's a long-held belief that spring is the best time of year to sell a home, which makes sense. After all, spring is about new beginnings, as the warming weather and re-greening of the landscape start, providing a sense of much-needed optimism for warmer days ahead - especially after a particularly long and cold winter. And let's not forget those tax refund checks that start arriving (for most people, at least).

If the last couple weeks are any indication of what is to come, we may be in for a long, cold winter. Call it payback for last year's mild season.

The combination of the cold and a $3.67 per gallon average heating oil price here in Maine (as of December 3) could make it a long, expensive winter as well. Efficiency Maine offers a program [...]