Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how Home Solar Guide ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information. We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Last updated: 8 August 2026

1. Who we are

Home Solar Guide is an independent solar information service for UK homeowners. We provide guides, calculators, and a quote matching service. For data protection enquiries, contact us via our contact page.

2. What data we collect

2.1 Data you provide directly

When you use our quote request form, we collect:

• First name and last name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Postcode
• Property type
• Electricity bill range
• Roof direction and shading information
• Your consent to be contacted by installers

2.2 Data collected automatically

When you visit our site, we may collect:

• Anonymous usage analytics (page views, calculator usage) via Vercel Analytics — this does not use cookies and does not identify you personally.
• Only if you press Accept on the cookie banner: Google Analytics 4, which sets cookies and shares usage data with Google. If you decline or ignore the banner it does not load and nothing is sent. See section 7.
• Technical information such as browser type and device type, used to improve site performance.

3. How we use your data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

4. Who we share your data with

When you request quotes, we share your contact details and property information with up to 3 MCS-certified solar installers in your area. We only share data with installers you have been matched with — we do not sell or share your data with any other third parties for marketing purposes.

We may also share data with:

• Our hosting provider (Vercel) for site operation
• Law enforcement if legally required to do so

5. Data retention

We retain your quote request data for up to 24 months from the date of submission, after which it is securely deleted. Anonymous analytics data is retained indefinitely as it cannot be linked to individuals.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Erasure: Ask us to delete your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Restriction: Ask us to restrict processing of your data.
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time (this does not affect processing that has already taken place).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

Essential storage. We store your cookie choice, and a temporary record of how you arrived on the site, so that an enquiry you submit reaches us with the right context. These are necessary for the site to work as you have asked it to, so they are set without consent. The arrival record is held in your browser's session storage and is deleted when you close the tab. It contains no name, email address or telephone number.

Analytics — only if you agree. We would like to use Google Analytics 4 to understand which guides people find useful. It sets cookies in your browser and shares data with Google, who act as a third party. It does not load at all unless you press Accept on the banner. If you decline, or simply ignore the banner, no analytics cookie is set and no data is sent to Google. Everything on the site works either way.

We also use Vercel Analytics, which does not use cookies and does not track individual users.

We do not use advertising cookies. Advertising storage, advertising user data and ad personalisation are disabled permanently in our Google configuration, not merely left unticked.

Changing your mind. You can withdraw or grant consent at any time, and it is exactly as easy as giving it was: change your cookie choice. You can also clear cookies for this site in your browser settings, which will make the banner appear again.

8. Children

Our service is not directed at individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

9. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Data is transmitted over HTTPS and stored securely.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113

For any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us.