The HVAC Brief Editorial Team publishes only figures we retrieved ourselves from a named primary source, and we print the source’s series identifier and vintage alongside every number.
We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research.
What we publish and what we refuse to
Every figure on this site traces to a federal series, a regulation, or an industry statistical release that we retrieved and read. Where a number is widely repeated but we cannot reach its source, we say so rather than passing it along.
| We publish | We do not publish |
|---|---|
| Figures from named federal series, with series ID and vintage | Vendor survey ranges presented as measured data |
| Regulation quoted from the current CFR | Paraphrased regulation without a citation |
| Our own calculations, with the method stated | Forecasts of prices no agency forecasts |
| Explicit statements that a figure does not exist | A plausible number filled in where data is missing |
Our primary sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics for producer prices, consumer prices, employment and wages, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API.
- Energy Information Administration for housing stock, equipment shares and fuel prices, principally the Residential Energy Consumption Survey and the weekly heating oil series.
- Code of Federal Regulations for efficiency standards and refrigerant rules, quoted from the current text via the electronic CFR.
- Federal Register for rulemakings and trade actions, retrieved through its public API.
- Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute for monthly equipment shipment data.
Where we deliberately publish no number
Several questions readers ask have no federal answer. Installed system cost, component repair prices, equipment service life and maintenance intervals are not measured by any federal series. On those pages we explain what is and is not documented rather than reproducing a survey figure we cannot verify.
That choice costs us on some searches. We think a reader is better served by knowing a number does not exist than by being given one that cannot be checked.
Images
Article photography is generated with AI and labelled as such in every image record. It depicts representative scenes, not documented events, locations or people. Charts and data visuals are our own, built from the sources named in each article.
Corrections
If you find an error, tell us. We will correct it and note the change on the page. We would rather carry a visible correction than an uncorrected figure.