SplitAtlas

How we source and verify data

Every factual claim on SplitAtlas - a SEER2 rating, a breaker size, an error code's meaning - is backed by a source record in our database. This page explains what that means and how the pipeline works.

Source priority

When we research a system, sources rank in this order:

  1. Manufacturer technical documents - submittal sheets, engineering manuals, installation manuals. These win every conflict.
  2. AHRI certificates - the industry's third-party performance directory.
  3. Energy Star listings.
  4. Manufacturer product pages.
  5. Authorized distributor and retailer listings - used for availability and pricing, and only cautiously for specifications.

We never treat other review or affiliate sites as sources for technical data. If we can't trace a number to the manufacturer or a certification body, it doesn't get published as fact.

What "Verified" means

The green badge you see on spec tables - "Verified Jun 2026" - means a member of our team confirmed that value against the ranked sources above on that date. Each system also displays a data-completeness score: the share of our required fields we could verify. Systems below our completeness threshold aren't scored and their pages say so.

When sources disagree

It happens more than you'd think - a retailer lists 19 SEER2, the submittal sheet says 18.5. We publish the technical document's value, note the conflict internally, and flag the field for re-verification. If we can't resolve a conflict, the field shows "disputed - verifying" rather than either number.

Freshness

  • Prices: rechecked on a rolling basis; every price shows its check date, and prices older than 60 days are dropped from display.
  • Specifications: re-verified at least every 12 months, or immediately when a manufacturer revises a product line.
  • Incentives and tax credits: verified against official program sources before publication, with expiration handling built in. (Yes, we know the federal 25C credit ended for installations after December 31, 2025 - our incentive pages reflect it.)

Mistakes

If we got something wrong, we want to know: corrections@splitatlas.com. Safety-relevant errors are fixed within 24 hours of confirmation, with the correction noted on the page. Our full policy: /corrections.