How EnergyGuide uses personal information
This privacy policy explains what personal information EnergyGuide may collect, how we use it, who we may share it with, and the rights you have under UK data protection law.
The short version
We collect limited information
We may collect information you provide directly, such as your name, email address and enquiry details, plus technical information such as IP address, device data and website usage data.
We use data to run the site
We use personal data to respond to enquiries, improve our content, measure website performance, protect the site and manage commercial or affiliate relationships.
Some links go to partners
If you click a quote link, affiliate link or partner link, the partner may collect your information under its own privacy policy.
You have rights
You may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to or transfer your personal data, depending on the circumstances and lawful basis.
1. Who we are
This website is operated by EnergyGuide.org.uk. In this policy, “EnergyGuide”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to EnergyGuide.org.uk.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, EnergyGuide may act as a data controller where we decide why and how personal information is processed.
Contact email: [email protected]
2. Personal information we may collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you use the website. It may include:
- Contact information, such as your name, email address and any details you submit through a form.
- Enquiry information, such as details of your question, quote request, home energy interest or service enquiry.
- Technical information, such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring pages and approximate location derived from technical data.
- Usage information, such as pages viewed, links clicked, time on page and website interaction data.
- Marketing preference information, such as whether you have opted in or opted out of emails, if email subscriptions are offered.
- Affiliate and referral information, such as whether a visitor clicked an affiliate, quote or partner link.
3. How we use personal information
We may use personal information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Data used | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries | Name, email address, enquiry details | To reply to questions or requests you send to us. |
| Running and improving the website | Technical data, usage data, analytics data | To understand how the site is used and improve content, layout and performance. |
| Affiliate and quote tracking | Referral data, click data, partner attribution data | To understand whether users click partner links or request quotes through commercial partners. |
| Security and fraud prevention | IP address, device data, logs and security events | To protect the site, detect misuse and maintain website security. |
| Legal and compliance purposes | Relevant contact, enquiry, technical and transactional records | To comply with legal obligations or deal with disputes, complaints and regulatory issues. |
4. Lawful bases for processing
Under UK GDPR, we need a lawful basis to process personal information. Depending on the activity, we may rely on:
- Consent, for example where you opt in to non-essential cookies or marketing emails.
- Legitimate interests, for example to run, secure and improve the website, understand readership and manage affiliate tracking.
- Contract or steps before a contract, where you ask us or a partner to provide information, quotes or services.
- Legal obligation, where we need to keep records or respond to lawful requests.
The ICO explains that privacy information should include the lawful basis being relied on, and that the lawful basis can affect which rights are available to individuals. [oai_citation:1‡ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/a-guide-to-lawful-basis/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
6. Affiliate links, quote links and partner websites
Some EnergyGuide pages may include affiliate links, quote links or links to commercial partners. If you click one of these links, you may be taken to a third-party website.
Those third-party websites may collect and process your personal information under their own privacy policies. EnergyGuide is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites.
You can read more on our Affiliate Disclosure page.
8. International transfers
Some service providers may process personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, we aim to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, approved contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
9. How long we keep personal information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
- Enquiry records may be kept for as long as needed to respond and manage follow-up questions.
- Analytics data may be retained according to the settings of the analytics provider.
- Affiliate and referral records may be kept for reporting, payment and audit purposes.
- Legal or compliance records may be kept for longer where needed to deal with disputes or legal obligations.
The ICO says that if you do not have a specific retention period, you should explain the criteria used to decide how long information is kept. [oai_citation:2‡ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/the-right-to-be-informed/what-privacy-information-should-we-provide/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
10. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- Ask for access to your personal information.
- Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Ask us to delete your personal information.
- Ask us to restrict how we use your information.
- Object to certain processing, including direct marketing.
- Ask for data portability, where applicable.
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
These rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis and circumstances. The ICO says privacy information should tell people which rights they have in relation to the use of their personal data. [oai_citation:3‡ICO](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/the-right-to-be-informed/what-privacy-information-should-we-provide/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
11. Contact and complaints
If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we use personal information, contact us at: [email protected].
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal data has been handled. The ICO’s website is ico.org.uk.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on this page with an updated “last updated” date.
Need to ask us about your data?
Contact EnergyGuide if you have a question about this privacy policy, data rights, affiliate tracking or how your information is handled.
