Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

solar-energy-cost.co.uk ("we", "us", "our") operates the website solar-energy-cost.co.uk. We are a solar lead generation service that connects homeowners interested in solar panel installation with MCS-certified local installers.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

When you submit an enquiry through our website, we collect the following information:

Information You Provide Directly

• Full name (first and last name)
• Mobile phone number
• Email address
• UK postcode
• Monthly energy bill amount
• Property type (e.g. detached house, semi-detached)
• Property ownership status (homeowner or renter)

Information Collected Automatically

• IP address and approximate location
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on site
• Referral source (how you found our website)
• Date and time of your enquiry submission

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Processing your solar quote request — to assess your suitability for solar installation and match you with an appropriate local installer
• Passing your details to a local installer — we share your contact details with one MCS-accredited installer in your area so they can contact you to arrange a free survey and quote
• Sending confirmation communications — we send you a confirmation email when your enquiry is received
• Quality assurance — we may contact you 7 days after your enquiry to check whether you were contacted and whether your experience was satisfactory
• Improving our service — we analyse anonymised data to improve our website and lead matching process
• Legal compliance — we retain records as required by applicable law

4. Our Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent — you provide explicit consent when submitting our enquiry form by ticking the consent checkbox and clicking submit
• Legitimate interests — we have a legitimate interest in processing data to provide our lead matching service, provided this does not override your rights
• Legal obligation — we may process data where required by law

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We share your personal data with the following categories of recipient:

MCS-Accredited Solar Installers

Your name, phone number, email address, postcode and property details are shared with one MCS-accredited solar installer operating in your region. This installer will contact you to arrange a free survey. They are required to handle your data in accordance with UK GDPR and use it solely for the purpose of providing you with a solar installation quote.

Technology Service Providers

We use third-party services to operate our website and communicate with you, including hosting providers, email delivery services and analytics tools. These providers process data only on our behalf and under our instruction.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your data to law enforcement or regulatory authorities if required by law or to protect our legal rights.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Enquiry data (name, phone, email, postcode) — retained for 12 months from the date of submission
• Communication records (emails sent and received) — retained for 12 months
• Anonymous analytics data — retained for 26 months
• Financial records — retained for 7 years as required by HMRC

After these periods, data is securely deleted or anonymised. You may request earlier deletion at any time (see Your Rights below).

7. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device. We use the following types of cookies:

Essential Cookies (Always Active)

These are necessary for the website to function correctly. They cannot be disabled.

• Session cookies — maintain your session while browsing
• Security cookies — protect against cross-site request forgery

Analytics Cookies (Require Consent)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. This data is anonymised and used only to improve our service. These cookies are only placed after you provide consent via our cookie banner.

Marketing Cookies (Require Consent)

If you arrive via a paid advertisement, cookies may be used to measure ad performance. These are only placed after consent.

You can manage or withdraw your cookie consent at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our website.

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@solar-energy-cost.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. Our measures include:

• All data transmitted via our website is encrypted using SSL/TLS (HTTPS)
• Lead data is stored on secure, password-protected servers
• Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only
• We do not store payment card information on our systems
• Regular security reviews of our systems and processes

In the event of a data breach that is likely to affect your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, as required by UK GDPR.

10. Children's Data

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately at privacy@solar-energy-cost.co.uk and we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will post the updated version on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. For significant changes, we will notify users by email where we hold your contact details.

Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.