Yet another dumb question by yours truly.

I can't foresee an issue and would think in the winter it would certainly cut down on energy usage.

Is there any harm to the mechanicals if they're subject to sub-freezing temps for periods of time? My mother had no use for it anymore (it is an Energy Star certified model) and with four growing mouths to feed it'd be a great help for stocking up but I just don't have any room in the upper two floors of the house. The basement is a possibility at some point but there's just nowhere to put it right now so I'd like to put it in the garage. Is that okay?