Methodology
Every certified figure on this site is copied from the US Department of Energy's Compliance Certification Database (CCMS), the database manufacturers must file with before selling these products in the US. We don't test products, and we don't publish ratings or reviews.
Data sources
- DOE CCMS, portable air conditioners: 1,378 basic models in the snapshot of 2026-11-03.
- DOE CCMS, window and room air conditioners: 332 basic models in the snapshot of 2026-11-03.
- DOE CCMS, dehumidifiers: 612 basic models in the snapshot of 2026-11-03.
- DOE CCMS, air purifiers: 317 basic models in the snapshot of 2026-11-03.
- ENERGY STAR certified product data (data.energystar.gov), fetched 2026-11-03: UPC codes and model numbers that link DOE records to retail listings. ENERGY STAR has no portable AC dataset.
- Amazon Product Advertising data through the Creators API: the listing's brand, model number, part number and UPC, used to match it to a DOE record.
DOE's database shows only models certified now and has no certification date, so "as of" is always the snapshot date. We keep every snapshot. A model that leaves DOE's list keeps its page, marked "no longer in DOE's current list as of" the date. And a model missing from the database isn't proof it was never certified. Filings lag.
One page per basic model
DOE records are filed per basic model: one certified design, which can cover many individual model numbers and several brands. Each page lists every model number and brand filed under it. When the filings under one basic model don't agree (different makers reusing a code, or a refiled value), the page leads with the figure most filings list and shows each brand's own figure.
Brand names are cleaned only for spelling: "BLACK & DECKER", "Black + Decker" and "Black+Decker" are one brand. But a line sold under its own name, such as GE Profile, stays separate. DOE wildcards in model numbers (such as LAP-B851S-****) are read as patterns.
How Amazon listings are matched
A listing is linked to a DOE record automatically only when all three of these agree:
- The brand, after spelling cleanup, is one of the brands filed for the basic model.
- The listing's model number or part number is one of that brand's filed model numbers (or the basic model), or its UPC is the ENERGY STAR UPC for the record.
- The listing is the product type (a dehumidifier, not its filter), and it matches only one basic model.
Everything else waits for review and isn't linked. Pages of models with no matched listing are kept out of search engines' indexes.
Room sizes
Air conditioners: ENERGY STAR's room air conditioner sizing chart, applied to the certified capacity (SACC for portable ACs). A model "fits" a room when its certified BTU/h meets the chart's figure for that area:
| Room up to | BTU/h needed |
|---|---|
| 150 sq ft | 5,000 |
| 250 sq ft | 6,000 |
| 300 sq ft | 7,000 |
| 350 sq ft | 8,000 |
| 400 sq ft | 9,000 |
| 450 sq ft | 10,000 |
| 550 sq ft | 12,000 |
| 700 sq ft | 14,000 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 18,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | 21,000 |
| 1,400 sq ft | 23,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 24,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 30,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 34,000 |
Air purifiers: DOE's own effective room size field (smoke CADR times about 1.55). Dehumidifiers get no room rule here, since the moisture load depends more on dampness than on area.
Amazon listings
Pages show the certified figure, the listing's photo where there is one, and a plain link to the listing. We don't show listing titles, bullet points, box claims or prices.
What we never do
- Change a figure for payment, or rank a paying brand higher.
- Call a figure fraud because it differs from the box. The gap is almost always a different test standard.
- Show a price without the time it was checked. This version shows no prices.
Corrections
Wrong figure, wrong listing, or a model we're missing? Email help@filedrating.com with the model number. Fixes are kept in a corrections file that survives every refresh. See corrections.
Updates
DOE data is pulled about every two weeks (CCMS updates about that often).