Independence
Negawatt accepts no payment, equity, or in-kind support from any party covered editorially. The publication is owned and operated by Negawatt Media, an independent entity not affiliated with any utility, OEM, fund, trade association, or vendor.
Our funding sources, in order of importance: sponsorship of newsletter issues and long-form pieces (clearly disclosed), reader subscriptions when those launch, and the editor’s personal time. There are no other backers.
Sourcing and data
Every numerical claim cites its origin. When we use proprietary data behind a paywall, we say so and link to the source. When we model or estimate, we publish the methodology in line with the piece. When sources disagree, we surface the disagreement instead of papering over it.
Sources we routinely use:
- Public agencies: EIA, FERC, NREL, state PUCs, ISO and RTO operating data
- Industry monitors: Wood Mackenzie, BNEF, ACP, SEIA, IEA
- Company filings: 10-K, 10-Q, S-1, regulatory filings, capacity market disclosures
- Direct conversations: operators, analysts, regulators, founders, on background and on the record
Anonymous sources are used sparingly, only when the information is material and the source is at risk if named, and always with at least one independent corroboration. We do not run anonymous opinions.
Sponsorship and editorial separation
The line between sponsorship and editorial is the line that decides whether a publication is worth reading. We hold it tightly, and we make our rules public.
- Sponsors do not pick topics, see drafts, or approve copy.
- Sponsors do not get coverage. Sponsoring does not buy editorial mention; if a sponsor is also editorially relevant in a piece, the relationship is disclosed in line.
- Every sponsorship is labeled at the top of the placement, in plain language, never buried in the masthead or footer.
- One sponsor per issue, maximum. Zero display advertising on the site.
- We turn down sponsorships that do not fit the audience or the editorial direction.
Full sponsorship policy is on the sponsor page.
Conflicts of interest
The editor maintains an updated list of professional conflicts and discloses them when material to a piece. Categories of conflict that get disclosed:
- Current or former employer relationships in the energy or DER space
- Personal investments in publicly traded companies covered in a piece
- Equity, options, or advisory relationships with private companies covered
- Family or close personal relationships with named subjects
Where a conflict is material to coverage, we disclose it at the top of the piece. Where a conflict is so significant that a piece cannot be reported fairly, we do not run the piece.
AI usage
We use language models the same way the rest of the industry does. Specifically:
- Research, summarization, and document parsing: yes, regularly. We verify every output against the source.
- Drafting and outlining: yes, for scaffolding. We do not publish AI-generated prose under a human byline without that prose being substantially rewritten and verified by a human.
- Visualization scaffolding: yes. Code generated by AI is reviewed line by line before it ships.
- Generative imagery in editorial: no. We do not publish AI-generated imagery as illustration without explicit labeling.
- Source identification and quotation: never. Quotes attributed to named individuals come from real conversations or published statements.
If an AI system is materially involved in a piece beyond research, we disclose it.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we fix it on the page, append a dated correction note at the bottom of the piece, and acknowledge the correction in the next newsletter issue. We do not silently update.
Categories of correction:
- Correction: material factual error. Posted publicly, dated, with a note describing the change.
- Clarification: the fact was correct but the framing was misleading. Posted publicly, dated.
- Update: new information has arrived after publication. Posted as an editor’s note at the top of the piece.
To request a correction, email corrections@negawatt.news with the link, the specific claim in question, and the source you believe to be authoritative. Replies typically arrive within 48 hours.
Methodology and replication
Where a piece relies on calculations or modeling we did ourselves, we publish the methodology in line with the piece. Where the calculation is non-trivial, we publish the source data and the steps required to reproduce the analysis. Replication is part of the standard, not an extra.
Right of reply
When we cover a company, person, or institution unfavorably, we contact them before publication and offer a reasonable opportunity to respond. Their response is included in the piece, in their own words, when relevant.
We do not grant prior review of full drafts. We do, in good faith, share the specific claims we plan to make about a subject and the specific quotes we plan to attribute to them, before publication.
Contact
For corrections: corrections@negawatt.news
For tips and pitches: hello@negawatt.news
For sponsorship: sponsor@negawatt.news