As a number person, I thrive on data. I am paid to interpret data full time for a tech company, and I have to admit that I enjoy numbers and graphs even during my freetime. Data can help you make the best purchases, find the right businesses to work with, and even determine market trends if you are an entrepreneur of some kind. I know that I used crash ratings and consumer reports when I was in the market for a new car two years ago. And when I wanted to buy a new roof, I located a roofing company after analyzing how long many of the local businesses have been operating. From there, I cross-referenced reviews and tried to find the roofer with the most experience and the happiest clients. Since our city has a limited number of roofing companies, my search wasn’t long and drawn out. But now that I need a new boiler for my house ahead of the oncoming winter season, I’m puzzled with my choices. Not only does our city have a large number of heating and cooling companies in general, but some focus primarily on commercial and industrial equipment. I need a boiler for my house, not a huge steam boiler for a huge store or a school. Plus, some of these companies focus on industrial HVAC equipment rentals instead of just sales. Knowing that there are all sorts of boilers available for applications of all sizes, I focused on vetting out the HVAC companies that work with homeowners. After enough searching, I finally found the match I was looking for.