Last updated: October 2026.
Hearth & Meter publishes cost and upkeep guides for people who own or rent a home in the United States. Topics include heating and cooling, energy bills, seasonal maintenance, water and plumbing, roofs and exteriors, and insulation and air sealing. This page explains how those guides are researched, written, and corrected.
Where the information comes from
Guides are built from primary sources: the U.S. Department of Energy and its Energy Saver program, ENERGY STAR, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), and the EPA. Federal tax credit details come from IRS pages. Cost figures come from dated sources such as EIA price data, government program pages, or a named cost survey with its publication date.
Each guide ends with a “Last reviewed” date, the last time the article was checked against its sources or updated. Where it matters, the text also says which day a price or program detail was checked, and links point to the pages that were used.
How costs and safety topics are handled
- Costs appear as ranges, each tied to a dated source. Prices depend on region, home size, equipment efficiency, and local labor, so a single number would mislead.
- Work involving gas lines, electrical panels or wiring, roofs, refrigerant, or combustion venting is explained so you understand the job and can talk to a contractor. These guides tell you to hire a licensed professional and do not give DIY steps for that work.
- Hearth & Meter is not a contractor and does not employ licensed tradespeople. No guide claims hands-on testing or a site visit.
How articles are written
Drafting uses AI tools. Before a guide is published, every figure, date, program detail, and safety statement is checked against the primary sources listed in the article. Anything that cannot be traced to a source is removed.
Money and independence
There are no paid placements, sponsored posts, or affiliate links on this site. Brands appear only as examples drawn from official specification pages, and no product is called the best without stated criteria. If advertising is added later, ads will be labeled and kept separate from editorial content.
Not professional advice
The guides are general information. They are not engineering, legal, tax, or contractor advice, and they cannot account for the specific condition of your home. Check local codes and permit rules, and ask a licensed pro before any safety-critical work.
Corrections and updates
If you find an error, please report it through the contact page. Confirmed errors are fixed, and the article gets a short note with the correction date describing what changed.
Guides are re-checked when a rebate program, tax credit, safety standard, or energy price that they rely on changes, and the “Last checked” date is updated after each review.