Editorial guidelines

EnergySage always puts the consumer first. In everything we do, we strive to be 100% accurate and objective in order to protect and empower you. Our editorial guidelines have been unwavering since our founding in 2009.

A planet powered by clean, affordable, and reliable energy for all.

To empower people everywhere to switch to affordable, reliable clean energy solutions with trusted resources, unbiased advice, and a simple shopping experience.

The editorial team at EnergySage is made up of clean energy experts, experienced technical writers, and journalists. We are dedicated to helping people learn about and adopt clean energy solutions with informative, accurate, honest, and engaging content. We pull the curtain back on what has always been an opaque industry, we bust myths, we make complex concepts accessible, and we provide fact-based guidance. By building confidence and trust, we create demand for our products and services, which accelerates the clean energy transition.

Consumer protection is the EnergySage editorial team's guiding purpose. We are fiercely objective and independent from the influence of manufacturers, installers, and others in the industry. We guide consumers with research-backed, data-supported points of view and transparently show our work when relevant. 

We are always seeking high-integrity, mission-driven, expert writers to join our team in order to increase our coverage of a wide range of clean energy topics and make them accessible to everyone. With this work, we are accelerating the adoption and development of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies for homes and businesses. If you are interested in joining our team, check out the EnergySage Careers page.

We place the needs of the consumer first. We do this by keeping these principles in mind:

Expertise. We are the nation’s leading expert in clean energy solutions for homes and businesses. We consistently demonstrate our deep understanding of the industry and offer reliable, accurate information to everyone who engages with EnergySage, no matter what stage of their customer journey.

Transparency. We pull back the curtain on the opaque parts of the clean energy industry and show our work. Clear information enables our customers to make smarter decisions and moves the industry forward.

Clarity. The clean energy industry is fraught with jargon and scientific terminology that industry players often overcomplicate. Without ever reducing accuracy, we turn the complex into the understandable, thereby building trust, interest, and demand.

Honesty. We shoot straight, even when it’s uncomfortable. Our content is based on empirical data (both our own and from trusted 3rd party sources such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), as well as research-backed criteria. We are not influenced by our partners, manufacturers, installers, or investors. We have opinions, and we look forward to sharing them.  

Our job is to educate, inform, engage, and guide those looking to electrify their homes, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Our editorial team of researchers, writers, and content producers source and create 100% of our own content. 

Our network of partners and industry allies share a common mission with EnergySage, but they have no influence over the content we create or our research methodologies. We do not accept submissions from manufacturers, installers, utility companies, or others with a direct interest in the outcome. If we use information from installers or manufacturers (reviews, long-form content, explainers), it is specifically cited.

We hold ourselves to the highest standards for accuracy, honesty, and journalistic integrity. When we express editorial viewpoints, they are those of EnergySage and our editorial team alone. We do not believe in “pay-for-play.” Neither EnergySage nor individual content creators will accept direct compensation from manufacturers, brands, or business partners in order to influence content.

EnergySage research and proprietary data are relied upon across the clean energy industry by individuals, manufacturers, industry analysts, journalists, federal and state governments, utilities, policymakers, scholars, and non-profits. We take this trust and responsibility seriously. It drives our unwavering commitment to accuracy.

We source information only from authoritative, high-integrity sources, including our own internal data sets; government and industry data; federal and state regulations, policies, and tax incentives; and experts in the fields of clean energy, solar, sustainability, heating and cooling, electric vehicles, and more.

If an accuracy concern is raised, we immediately re-verify our work. If a correction is warranted, we swiftly make that correction and note it. To notify our editorial team of a concern, please email [email protected].

EnergySage recognizes that artificial intelligence is an emerging technology that is quickly being incorporated into many commercial digital apps and tools. While it shows tremendous promise, EnergySage believes AI is still a developing technology that needs significant safeguards and human oversight. 

Transparency and honesty are two of EnergySage’s key editorial principles. To that end, we are disclosing that the EnergySage editorial team may use AI-powered digital tools in certain limited ways. For example, an editorial team member may ask an AI tool to review a highly technical, human-written passage and suggest edits that improve readability and clarity. We may also employ AI tools integrated into common visual design software during the production or editing process.

Readers can be assured that all EnergySage content meets our rigorous editorial standards; all published content has been researched, prepared, edited, and fact-checked by our trained team of human writers and editors.