How we create our content

Who is behind Askento

Askento (askento.com) is an independent publication operated by the Askento Editorial Team. We are a small, independent publisher — not a brand front for a manufacturer or retailer. We are accountable for everything published here, and you can reach a real person at hello@askento.com with any correction, question, or concern.

How we use AI — stated plainly

We use AI tools to help research and draft articles. We are transparent about this because we think you deserve to know how what you're reading was made. AI lets a small team cover a lot of practical ground quickly — but it does not get a free pass. Every article is shaped by the standards below before it goes live, and we do not publish raw, unedited AI output as-is.

We will never use AI to fabricate first-hand experience we don't have, invent fake expert personas, or manufacture reviews, ratings, or testimonials. If an article reads as though someone personally performed a repair, it is describing the established, documented way to do it — not a staged claim of personal experience.

How we check accuracy

Before an article is published, it passes through a consistent set of checks:

• Source-grounding. For anything technical or safety-related, we ground claims in primary references — manufacturer guidance, building and electrical codes, and established standards bodies — and link to them in a sources list on the article where relevant.
• Automated quality gates. Every article runs through automated checks for structure, required disclosures, internal-link integrity, and content standards before it can be published. Content that fails these checks does not go live.
• Scope discipline. We focus on practical, verifiable home and DIY topics where answers can be checked against real references. We deliberately do not publish medical, legal, or financial advice — those require credentialed professionals, and we are honest that we are not one.

How we cite sources

Where an article relies on specifications, codes, or standards, we list those sources on the page so you can verify them yourself. We link to the original authority rather than to a third party re-stating it whenever possible. If we cannot find a credible source for a claim, we remove the claim rather than guess.

How our calculators and data tables are made

The pages under Tools & data are built differently from the articles. Their numbers are not written by hand or by AI: code computes every figure from a published public dataset, and each page names that dataset and the month it covers.

• Electricity prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (average residential price per kWh, by state).
• Average bills and household use come from EIA Form EIA-861M: residential revenue divided by residential customers for each state and month. These are statewide averages across every home, so a small apartment will often use less.
• Running costs are watts × hours × the state's price per kWh. Each tool states its assumptions on the page, such as a heater running at full power the whole time.
• Room AC sizing follows the ENERGY STAR room air conditioner sizing chart.

When EIA publishes a new month, a script downloads the table, checks that every state and D.C. is present, and rewrites the figures. Automated tests compare spot values with the source table, so a misread table fails before it can be published. The underlying tables are free to download from Askento Data. If a number looks wrong, please tell us.

How we keep articles current

Practical advice goes stale — prices change, products get discontinued, and codes are revised. Articles carry a publication date, and substantively revised articles also show a “last updated” date. We revisit popular and time-sensitive articles and update them when the underlying facts change.

Corrections

We get things wrong sometimes, and we want to fix them. If you spot an error — a wrong measurement, an outdated step, a broken link, or anything that doesn't match your experience — email hello@askento.com and tell us. We review correction reports and update or remove inaccurate content.

Independence and funding

Askento is funded by affiliate commissions and, where relevant, display advertising. Affiliate relationships never determine which products we mention or how we describe them — we link only to items relevant to the question being answered. See our affiliate disclosure for full details.

Related

For the legal limits of our content, see our content disclaimer. For an overview of the site, see about Askento.