Acara Institute is reader-supported. When you click certain links on this site and make a purchase or submit a request, we may earn a commission — at no extra cost to you. This page explains exactly how that works.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing means that when a reader clicks a link on our site and completes an action — buying a product, requesting a quote, or signing up for a service — the company pays us a small commission. The price you pay is identical to what you’d pay going direct. We never mark up prices, and our commission comes from the company’s marketing budget, not from you.
Which programs does Acara Institute participate in?
We currently participate in, or plan to participate in, the following affiliate and referral programs:
- Amazon Associates — for EV chargers, smart thermostats, and home energy accessories sold on Amazon.
- EnergySage — a solar marketplace that connects homeowners with vetted installers. We may earn a referral fee when a reader submits a quote request.
- SolarReviews — a secondary solar lead generation program.
- Qmerit — an EV charger installation network. We may earn a referral fee when a reader books an installation.
- Heat pump manufacturer programs — including Trane, Mitsubishi, Bosch, and Daikin direct affiliate programs, where available.
- Mediavine — display advertising network (planned once traffic thresholds are reached).
Does this affect our recommendations?
No. Our editorial process is independent of our affiliate relationships. We research products and services based on their merits — cost, performance, reliability, and homeowner value. A product or service does not appear in our recommendations because a company paid for placement. If we earn a commission on something we recommend, it is because we researched it first and concluded it was genuinely useful.
Where we earn a commission on a link, we disclose this clearly in the article — either at the top of the page or immediately adjacent to the link.
How are affiliate links labelled?
Non-Amazon affiliate links are labelled with (paid link) next to the anchor text. Amazon links display #ad automatically per Amazon’s programme requirements. Display ads are labelled Sponsored.
Questions?
If you have a question about whether a specific recommendation on Acara Institute is affiliate-linked, or want to flag a potential conflict of interest, see our Privacy Policy for contact details once our contact page is live.
Last updated: February 2026. This disclosure is reviewed and updated whenever new affiliate relationships are added.