Editorial policy
How factivora.com researches, writes, reviews and corrects its household energy guides, and when a guide hands the work to a licensed trade.
Last updated: October 15, 2026
This policy covers how factivora.com researches, writes, reviews and corrects its guides on using less energy at home.
What every guide gives you
Each guide answers one reader question and states the answer in its first paragraph, with its figure and the condition that changes it. Every guide also says:
- who it works for: renters, owners or both;
- what it costs: free, a small buy or a bigger job;
- which sources it used, and the data year or effective date behind each figure.
Free changes come first. A purchase is recommended only after the free change that precedes it.
Sources we open, figures with their year
We cite public sources we have opened, such as the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for household energy use and residential electricity prices, the Department of Energy (DOE) for its Energy Saver guidance, ENERGY STAR for product criteria and insulation levels, EPA WaterSense for fixture flow, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for heater and carbon-monoxide safety, the IRS for tax-credit status, and state programs for rebates and weatherization. Each source is linked beside the claim it supports and listed at the end of the guide.
A figure is printed only with its source and its year. A saving keeps the source's own wording and scope, such as "as much as" or "up to"; we promise no payback. An incentive is stated with its effective date and the page that confirms it. Retailers, manufacturers and utilities are not sources for a rule or a saving.
Writing and review
Guides are written with AI assistance from the opened sources. Before publication, a second, independent AI review checks each guide against those sources: its figures, their dates and the conclusions drawn from them. That review is not a sign-off by a licensed trade or an energy auditor.
We do not meter homes, test products or read anyone's bill. A worked example uses a published rating, rate or table and is labeled as an example. The photographs at the top of the guides are AI-generated illustrations of ordinary homes and equipment, not pictures of real houses, products or measurements.
Where a licensed trade takes over
Gas appliances, venting, electrical circuits and panels, refrigerant and asbestos-suspect material belong to a licensed professional. A guide that reaches one of them names the trade, such as a licensed electrician, a licensed plumber or gas fitter, or an HVAC contractor, and gives no steps for that work.
General information only
Factivora guides are general information about household energy use, not legal, tax, medical or engineering advice for your home or your situation.
Corrections
Report a possible error through the contact page with the guide's title, the passage and a source. A confirmed error in a figure, a source or a conclusion is corrected in the guide itself.
Advertising
factivora.com may be funded by clearly labeled advertising. Advertisers have no influence on which topics we cover, which change a guide recommends or which sources it cites.
Publisher
The contact page names the company that operates factivora.com, and the copyright page covers copyrights and trademarks. More about the publication is on the about page.