Methodology

Last updated: October 4, 2026

1. What this page explains

EnergyBS publishes home energy guides, rebate and grant records, and cost tools for readers in Canada, the United States, and Europe. This page explains where the claims on those pages come from, how calculator assumptions are stated, and what readers should verify locally before spending money. It sits alongside our About page, our Editorial Policy, and our Disclaimer.

2. Sources we prefer

For rebate, tax credit, and grant claims, we start with the official program source: a government department, a utility, or the program administrator named on the page. Guides on this site link to sources such as Natural Resources Canada, the Canada Revenue and finance pages on canada.ca, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Energy and its Alternative Fuels Data Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and ENERGY STAR product criteria. Where a guide discusses a specific program, the linked official page is the source of truth for current amounts, dates, and eligibility.

Product and installation claims are checked against manufacturer specifications, certified product lists, and applicable standards where the page names them. If a figure cannot be traced to a source the reader can open, the page should present it as a scenario or worked example with its assumptions printed, not as a market price.

3. How grant and rebate records are handled

Each record in our Government Grants directory carries a link to the official program page, a status, and eligibility notes. Program rules change, close, and reopen under new names. A record that says a program is expired or closed is there so readers do not rely on old headlines, and the official link is where current status should be confirmed. Readers should confirm status on the day they apply, because an amount printed on any summary page, including ours, can go stale between program updates.

4. Calculator and worked-example assumptions

Tools such as the Savings Calculator and the Carbon Footprint Calculator produce estimates from the inputs a reader provides. They are planning aids, not quotes. Worked examples inside guides state the inputs they use, such as a sample installed cost, an annual driving distance, or a utility rate, so readers can redo the math with their own numbers. A payback period is only as good as the local rate, quote, and program rules fed into it.

5. Region and date checks

Home energy rules are local. Rebate amounts, building code requirements, utility rate plans, and tax rules differ by province, state, and utility territory, and they change over time. Our guides name the jurisdiction they discuss and show a last updated date in the header. General guidance in the guide library should be read as a starting point, then checked against the official program page and a local contractor quote for your address.

6. What we do not do

We do not invent premiums, prices, savings percentages, or program amounts. We do not present a scenario as a measured result, and we do not guarantee eligibility for any rebate, credit, or loan. Where evidence is thin, the honest output is a checklist of what to verify, not a confident number.

7. Corrections

If a figure on EnergyBS looks wrong, out of date, or mismatched with its source, tell us through the contact form with the page address and the specific claim. We review the source, correct or qualify the page, and update its last updated date. The standards that govern those corrections are set out in our Editorial Policy.