This page explains where the numbers on this site come from, what we will not publish, and what our advice is and is not.
Every figure carries a label
Cost and performance figures in HVAC writing are usually copied from one blog to the next until nobody knows the origin. We use three labels instead, and you will find them stated in the article next to the number:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Measured | We metered it ourselves. The method and the equipment are stated so you can repeat it. |
| Quoted | Real quotes we requested from named trades, with the month and the region they cover. |
| Sourced | Published retail listings, manufacturer documentation or industry cost data, checked on a stated date. |
If a figure is sourced rather than quoted, the article says so plainly and tells you to get your own quotes. That distinction matters: market averages and what a contractor will actually charge you are different things.
Before we write anything
- We read what already ranks for the question and note what it fails to answer. If the existing answers are genuinely good, we do not publish a worse version of them.
- Technical specifications come from manufacturer installation manuals, not from other blogs.
- Where manufacturers differ, we say so and tell you to check your own manual rather than quoting one brand as if it were universal.
Technical review
We are building a review process with a certified HVAC technician for anything involving sizing, electrical work or refrigerant.
Until an article names a technical reviewer at the foot of the page, treat it as researched and sourced, not professionally verified. We would rather tell you that than imply an authority we have not yet earned.
What we will not publish
- Price ranges we cannot attribute to a listing, a quote or a published source.
- Product comparisons presented as hands-on testing when they are documentary. Where a comparison is based on specifications rather than bench testing, the article says so.
- Advice that quietly routes you toward the most expensive option. If the $20 fix works, that comes first.
- Anything that tells you to open a sealed refrigerant circuit yourself.
How this site makes money, and why it matters
Most well-ranked HVAC content is published by companies that sell installation, or that sell leads to companies that do. That is not a conspiracy, it is a business model — but it makes certain articles commercially impossible for them to write. They cannot tell you that a DIY kit is adequate, or that your ten-year-old unit is worth repairing rather than replacing.
This site carries advertising and earns commission on some links. That funds the work, and it creates its own bias risk, which we manage in one way: the recommendation is written before the monetisation is added, never the other way round. No manufacturer or contractor has any editorial input here, and none has paid for a placement or a rating.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it and say what changed. Technical corrections from people in the trade are especially welcome — the point of the site is to be right, not to look right.