I ran 26x1 3/4 Schwalbe Winter's in Boston last winter - rolling resistance was noticable, but much much less than the Innova I have. They worked great on patches of ice and black ice, I kept them on until April.
The only time I didn't care for them was in heavy snow - not much tread to grab the snow.
If I were running a bike that could take 700c tires I would get them in the 700c x 35 size, they might be narrow enough to slice through deeper snow and grip the pavement below.
If your riding on well plowed roads, I highly recommend them.
Buy good lights that work in rain, snow, sleet, ice - generator hub or batteries I find my bottle dynamo slips.
Full fenders (front and rear) with mudflaps in the front to keep your feet, legs and rear nice and dry.