Energy balance/Bowen ratio estimation of evapotranspiration is examined to determine the effects of different sources of error. General usage of the approximate psychrometric equation which neglects terms of order 1/p (p atmospheric pressure) can lead to large bias errors if the wet-bulb temperature depression is large. Temperature and pressure corrections on the ‘psychrometric constant’ cannot be neglected without the risk of a bias error in excess of precision limits placed on a result. Aspiration to an isothermal block for wet-bulb temperature measurement compared with measurement at the air stream source does not necessarily lead to a more precise estimate of the Bowen ratio.