The Government has launched a special "cold alert" - with the double aim of helping the elderly avoid hypothermia and help householders cuts fuel bills.
The scheme will run in Co Donegal this year and if successful will start throughout the rest of the country next winter, said Social and Family Affairs Minister Ms Mary Coughlan.
The project will involve sending out temperature cards - like a child's temperature strip - to tens of thousands of households in the coming weeks.
Ms Coughlan said: "This project will ensure that old people who are particularly at risk during cold weather can keep an eye on the temperature.
"It will reach into every household in Donegal and be assessed for effectiveness in a couple of months time. I would be confident that this simple but effective measure will prove its use."
The scheme currently being funded jointly by central and local government sources, but with an eye on the future, the minister said: "It is also a measure that would be easily funded by a commercial concern - because every house in the country could have a daily reminder of a sponsoring product or service.
"The potential for a single or numerous sponsors is wide, insurance companies, household furnishers or home heat providers.
"I am pleased to be providing support for this project - and I would urge potential sponsors to consider taking this on board as a national project for next year."