This page explains how HomeHeatAdvisor researches, writes and updates its guides, so you can judge how much weight to give what you read here.
Where our information comes from
We start with primary sources and only fall back to secondary ones when there is no primary source:
- Government and standards bodies: the U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR, the EPA, the IRS, and AHRI for efficiency standards and certified ratings.
- Program rules: the official pages of federal, state and utility rebate programs, and the UK government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme guidance.
- Manufacturer documents: spec sheets, installation manuals and warranty terms for model-level details.
- Industry data and reporting: shipment data and reputable trade and news coverage, used for market figures and clearly attributed.
Every guide ends with a list of the sources it relies on, linked so you can check them yourself.
How we handle numbers
- Prices, energy rates and incentive amounts change, so we say when a figure applies and where it came from.
- When we calculate running costs or savings, we state the assumptions (energy prices, efficiency, climate) so you can repeat the calculation with your own numbers.
- We give ranges instead of single numbers when real-world results vary widely, and we say what pushes a result toward either end.
How we check our guides
Before a guide goes live, and whenever it is updated, its claims, figures and links are checked against the sources cited in it. Charts and diagrams are built from those same sourced figures.
Reviews and comparisons
Our reviews compare products on published, checkable data: certified efficiency ratings, cold-climate performance listings, warranty terms and available sizes. Each review will say what the comparison is based on and whether we have used the product ourselves. We don’t accept payment or free products in exchange for coverage or a better ranking.
Updates and corrections
- Time-sensitive topics such as tax credits, rebates and refrigerant rules are updated when the rules change.
- Every guide is reviewed at least once a year, and each one shows when it was last updated.
- If you spot an error, please tell us through our contact page. We fix confirmed errors promptly, and if a correction changes a guide’s advice, we note it in the guide.
Independence
HomeHeatAdvisor doesn’t sell equipment or installation. No manufacturer, installer or utility pays for what we write. If we add advertising or affiliate links, they will be clearly labeled, and they will not change what we recommend.
More about who we are is on our About page.