Built for NE Ohio winters
Howland sits immediately east of Warren in the Mahoning Valley, inland of the heaviest Erie lake-effect but still in for a long heating season — hard freezes November through March and a 42-inch frost line. Even Howland's newer, better-insulated homes lean on their heating systems steadily from late fall into spring. The frost line here is about 42 inches and hard-freeze season runs November through March, so heating equipment in Howland works longer and harder than it would almost anywhere else — and the cost of a no-heat call in February is a lot higher than an inconvenience.