We consider the problem of accuracy in heal late estimations from artificial neural network (ANN) models of heat exchangers used for refrigeration applications. Limited experimental measurements from a manufacturer are used to show the capability of the neural network technique in modeling the heat transfer phenomena in these systems. A well-trained network correlates the data with errors of the same order as the uncertainty of the measurements. It is also shown that the number and distribution of the training data are linked to the performance of the network when estimating the heat rates under different operating conditions, and that networks trained from few tests may give large errors. A methodology based on the cross-validation technique is presented to find regions where not enough data are available to construct a reliable neural network. The results from three tests show that the proposed methodology gives an upper bound of the estimated error in the heat rates. The procedure outlined here can also help the manufacturer to find where new measurements are needed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.