Buyer's guides
What we would tell a friend who asked. Specific, opinionated, and willing to say when the expensive option is the wrong one.
11 min read
How to choose a heat pump
Sizing beats efficiency, capacity at 5°F beats HSPF2, and the contractor matters more than the brand. A practical order of operations.
8 min read
Cold-climate heat pumps: what actually matters
'Works down to -13°F' and 'still produces useful heat at -13°F' are different claims. Here is how to tell which one you are being sold.
9 min read
How to choose a central air conditioner
The number that ends most AC regret isn't on the SEER2 sticker — it's the tonnage. Here's what actually separates a good install from a clammy one.
6 min read
Furnaces: staging is the specification that matters, not AFUE
Two furnaces can both be rated 96% AFUE and behave completely differently in your house. What actually separates them is whether they can throttle down to match a mild day, or only run flat-out until the thermostat is satisfied.
6 min read
Boilers: turndown is the specification that matters
AFUE is a rating condition. Turndown ratio is what your boiler does on a 45°F day in October, which is most of the heating season.
9 min read
Replacing an old boiler: stay hydronic, go ductless, or both
The question isn't just which boiler to buy. If your radiators are original to the house, the real decision is whether to replace like-for-like, add ductless heat pumps room by room, or run both together.
8 min read
Ductless mini-splits: the multi-zone trade-off nobody puts on the brochure
One outdoor unit running four indoor heads is convenient. It's also the single biggest reason mini-split owners see worse real-world efficiency than the rating on the box.
9 min read
Water heaters: heat pump, tankless, or conventional tank
The efficiency winner is obvious. Whether it fits your house is the actual question, and it comes down to where you can physically put it.
7 min read
Well pumps: sizing, constant pressure, and what actually fails
Undersized head kills more pumps than anything else. And the constant-pressure convenience carries a repair cost most buyers never hear about.
8 min read
Solar and batteries in 2026, after the credit
The 30% federal credit ended on 31 December 2025. That raises effective system cost by about 43%, and most of the payback maths you'll read online hasn't caught up.
7 min read
Home batteries: continuous power, not usable kWh, is the spec buyers get wrong
A battery can hold plenty of energy and still fail the one moment you bought it for -- because the spec that predicts whether it can start your well pump or your AC isn't the kWh number on the box.