This page explains how the guides on Home Energy Hive are researched, written, checked and corrected, so you can judge how much to trust them.
Who writes the guides
Home Energy Hive is run by Khalid. He is studying automotive mechanics and works hands-on in a repair shop, but he is not an HVAC installer or an electrician. You can read more on our About page.
Where our numbers come from
- Official sources first: the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR and the EPA, NREL, the IRS for tax topics, and state laws and regulators.
- Manufacturer spec sheets for product details such as capacity, power and size. We say when a figure comes from the maker.
- Real owners’ experiences from forums and news reports. We treat them as examples, not proof, summarize them in our own words and link to them.
- We link the sources inside each guide and list them at the end, with the date and units, so you can check them yourself.
How the calculators work
- Each tool shows its assumptions and where they come from.
- If you change nothing, the saving is $0. Ranges always include a zero-savings case.
- We don’t add up savings that overlap, and we don’t give a positive verdict when key information is missing.
- When a tool is simplified, we say so (for example, a simplified solar estimate is not the full PVWatts model).
- When there is no official number for a default value, it is marked as an example and you are asked for your own figure.
- Every tool is tested on the live page on phone and computer, including zero, empty and unusual values.
Products and independence
- We have not tested the products we write about in person, and each guide says so.
- There are no affiliate links on this site, and no brand pays to be included or recommended.
- “Best for” means best on a spec you can check yourself, not a lab test.
- Product photos come from the makers and are credited.
Safety
- For electrical panels, wiring, gas lines and major work, we tell you to use a licensed professional.
- We never suggest putting a space heater on a smart plug, power strip or extension cord.
- For medical devices such as CPAP machines, we don’t promise run times. Check your own device and keep a margin.
Updates and corrections
Each guide shows the date it was last updated or reviewed. That date only changes when the content has actually been checked again, not to make a page look fresh.
If you find a mistake, please tell us through our Contact page. We check every report against the original source and correct the guide when we got it wrong.
Advertising
Home Energy Hive is free to read. In the future the site may show ads served by Google AdSense. Ads are kept separate from the guides and don’t change what we write. See our Privacy Policy for details.