Privacy Policy

1Who we are

The Solar Credit Calculator ("we", "us", "our") is a free tool that helps UK homeowners estimate the potential savings from installing rooftop solar. It is operated by Kieran Zhané.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, we are the data controller for the limited personal data described below. The calculator is currently in BETA.

2What we collect

Information you provide

To produce an estimate, you enter details about your home and energy use, such as your postcode, property type, number of bedrooms, EPC rating, occupancy, heating type, whether you have an electric vehicle or heat pump, your energy usage or bill, and your finance preferences. Most of this is processed in your browser and is not stored on our servers.

Two pieces of information are sent to our server so we can look up location-specific data:

• Your postcode, to retrieve solar irradiance (sunlight) data for your area; and
• If you choose to use the address look-up, your postcode and address selection, to retrieve your property's published Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

Technical information

Like virtually all websites, our hosting provider automatically records standard technical data in server logs, for example your IP address, browser and device type, and the date and time of requests. This is used to keep the service secure and reliable.

What we do not collect

• We do not require an account, name, email address or phone number to use the calculator.
• We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. We use Google Analytics only if you consent (see section 6).
• We do not sell your personal data to anyone.

3How we use it

We use the information above only to:

• generate your personalised solar savings estimate;
• retrieve solar-yield and EPC data relevant to your location;
• keep a short-lived cache of solar data by postcode so the tool responds quickly and we don't repeatedly query external services for the same area; and
• maintain the security, integrity and performance of the website.

4Our legal bases

Under UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Consent: when you voluntarily enter your details to generate an estimate. You can stop at any time by closing the page.
• Legitimate interests: for keeping the service secure, diagnosing faults, and caching location data to operate the tool efficiently. We balance these against your rights.

5Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent your data. To deliver the service, limited data is processed by the following third parties acting as our processors or as independent controllers:

• postcodes.io: your postcode is sent to convert it into approximate coordinates.
• PVGIS (European Commission, Joint Research Centre): those coordinates are used to obtain solar irradiance data.
• GOV.UK Energy Performance Certificate Register (DLUHC): your postcode/address is sent only if you use the EPC look-up.
• Our hosting provider: operates the servers and processes technical log data on our behalf.
• Google Analytics (Google): only if you consent to analytics in the cookie banner, anonymised usage data (e.g. pages viewed, approximate region, device type) is processed by Google to help us understand and improve the service. It does not run if you choose “Necessary only”. See Google's Privacy Policy.

We may also disclose information if required to do so by law, or to protect our rights, users or the public.

6Cookies & local storage

We keep cookies to a minimum and use no advertising cookies.

Strictly necessary (no consent required): we use your browser's local storage to remember two non-personal preferences — your light/dark theme choice and your cookie-consent choice. These stay on your device and are not used to track you.

Analytics (optional — only with your consent): we use Google Analytics (GA4) with Google Consent Mode. By default it runs in a privacy-preserving state that sets no cookies and collects no personal data. Only when you choose “Accept all” in the cookie banner does it store analytics cookies and measure how the site is used (e.g. pages viewed, approximate region, device type). If you choose “Necessary only” it stays cookieless. You can change your decision any time via the “Cookie settings” link in the footer. Advertising/personalisation signals are disabled, so the data is used for measurement only.

You can also clear all of the above at any time through your browser settings.

7How long we keep it

• Your answers / estimate inputs: processed in your browser for your session and not retained on our servers afterwards.
• Cached solar data by postcode: retained for up to 30 days, then refreshed or removed.
• Server logs: retained for a limited period for security and troubleshooting, in line with our hosting provider's standard practice.

8Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• be informed about how your data is used (this policy);
• request access to any personal data we hold about you;
• request rectification of inaccurate data;
• request erasure ("right to be forgotten");
• request restriction of, or object to, processing;
• request data portability; and
• withdraw consent at any time.

Because we don't operate accounts and retain very little, we may hold no personal data that identifies you. To exercise any right, contact us using the details below.

9Children

The calculator is intended for homeowners and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16.

10 Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time (for example, when we add new features). The "last updated" date at the top reflects the latest version. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.

11Contact & complaints

For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights, contact us at: privacy@solarcreditcalculator.com.

You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113. We'd appreciate the chance to resolve any concern first.