Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy describes the types of information that Solar California (“we,” or “us”) collects from and about you when you visit any one of our websites where this privacy policy is posted (each as “Site”). This Privacy Policy also describes how we may use and disclosure such information, as well as your ability to control certain uses of it.
By using this Site, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and is made part of the website Terms of Use located at solar-california/terms-of-use. If, for any reason, you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Site.
INFORMATION COLLECTED
Information You Provide to Us
We collect personal information from you when you choose to share it with us. This may include when you use our Site, create an online account with us, request a solar consultation or quote, post a request for information about products or services, request support, or otherwise contact or communicate with us.
The personal information we collect may include, but may not be limited to, your contact information, such as name, e-mail address, address or ZIP code, and telephone number; information about your solar activities, such as home ownership, home statistics, home energy usage or utility provider; or demographic information, such as geographic area, and preferences, when any of this information is linked to personal information that identifies you; and other interests or preferences that you provide.
Information You Provide Through Social Media. If you connect or link to us through a social media account, we may automatically receive certain information about you based on your registration and privacy settings on those third party websites or services. This may include, but may not be limited to, name, user name, demographic information, updated address or contact information, location, interests, and publicly-observed data, such as from social media and online activity.
Information Automatically Collected
Site Visit Data: When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect certain non-personal information from you, including, but not limited to, your IP address, browser type, device type, system type, unique device identifier of any of your computer(s) or device(s) that are used to access the Site, and the domain name from which you accessed the Site. We may also collect information about your use of the Site, including the date and time you visit the Site, the content, areas, or pages of the Site that you visit, the website from which you navigated to the Site, the page you visit after leaving the Site, the amount of time you spend viewing or using the Site, the number of times you return to the Site, as well as other click-stream or site usage data, emails that you open, forward or click-through to our Site. For legal compliance purposes, we may also capture or record your interactions with the Site to confirm that your information was submitted to us through this Site.
We may use cookies, clear GIFs (also known as “Web beacons”), pixel tags, log files, and other technologies or third party services (such as LeadID) to collect this information about visitors to our Site and interactions with our emails and online advertisements and to allow us to keep track of analytics and certain statistical information. If we link or associate any information automatically collected on the Site with personal information, we will treat the combined information as personal information under this Privacy Policy.
Third Party Service Providers: We may use third party service providers to support our Site. Some of these service providers may use technology such as cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, or Flash cookies to receive, collect, and store information.
Third Party Analytic Technologies: We may use third parties’ analytic and tracking tools, such as Google Analytics for Display Marketing to better understand who is using the Site, how people are using the Site and how to improve the effectiveness of the Site and its content, and to help us or those parties serve more targeted advertising to you across the Internet. These tools may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, Flash cookies, or other technologies to collect and store non-personal information. They may also combine information they collect from your interaction with Site with information they collect from other sources. We do not have access to, or control over, these third parties’ use of cookies or other tracking technologies.
If you would like to opt out of participating in the collection of your web viewing data over time and across unaffiliated sites for interest-based and other applicable use, please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices.
Information We Collect from Other Sources
We may obtain information about you from other sources, including commercially available sources, such as data aggregators and public databases, or social networks that you use to connect with us. This information may include your name, demographic information, interests, and publicly-observed data, such as from social media, online activity, and shopping behavior.
Combination of Information
We may combine this information we receive from and about you, including information you provide to us and information we automatically collect through the Site, as well as information collected from other online or offline sources, or from third party sources.
Tracking Options and California Do Not Track Disclosures
Certain parts of our Site require cookies. You are free to set your browser or operating system settings to limit certain tracking or to decline cookies, but by doing so, you may not be able to use certain features on the Site or take full advantage of all of our offerings. Please refer to your Web browser’s or operating system’s website or “Help” section for more information on how to delete and/or disable your browser or operating system from receiving cookies or controlling your tracking preferences. On your mobile device, you may also adjust your privacy and advertising settings to control whether you want to receive more relevant advertising.
Our system may not respond to “do not track” (DNT) requests or signals from some or all browser. To learn more about the use of cookies or other technologies to deliver more relevant advertising and to know your choices with respect to collection and use of the data by these third party tools, you may visit here.
HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?
We may use the information we collect from and about you for any of the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiries, and provide the services and information you request;
- To analyze, improve, operate, and maintain the Site, our programs, services, website, and other systems, and to develop new products and services;
- To tailor or enhance your user experience, including as a way to recognize and welcome you to the Site, and to provide you with customized Site content, targeted offers, and advertising on the Site, across other third-party websites, or via email;
- To maintain a record of our interactions with you;
- To contact you via direct mail, email and/or telemarketing regarding offers, contests, events, news, programs, and other retail opportunities from us and/or selected third parties that we believe may be of interest to you;
- To use your data in an aggregated non-specific format for analytical and demographic purposes;
- To address problems with the Site or our business;
- To protect the security or integrity of the Site and our business, such as by protecting against and preventing fraud, unauthorized transactions, claims and other liabilities, and managing risk exposure, including by identifying potential hackers and other unauthorized users;
- To comply with our legal obligations; and
- As otherwise described to you at the point of data collection.
HOW DO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION?
We may share or disclose the information we collect from and about you in the following ways:
- Affiliate Companies or Subsidiaries: We may share your information with any parent company or any subsidiaries, joint venture partners, or other companies that we control or are under common control with us.
- Selling Personal Information: We are a lead generation company and are in the business of selling personal information about our users and visitors to third parties, such as, without limitation, solar energy providers and energy efficiency consultants/auditors. When you request a solar consultation or quote, or otherwise request that clean energy service providers contact you, we may sell, disclose, or otherwise share your information to solar energy providers, clean energy service providers or other third party service providers not affiliated with us. The third parties that purchase or receive your information from us may then (i) use your personal information for their own purposes (including for commercial purposes), (ii) contact you regarding their products and services, and/or (iii) further disclose your personal information to other third parties for their own commercial purposes.
- Marketing Partners and Other Third Parties: We may share your information with our marketing partners or other third parties to bring selected retail opportunities, offers, contests, programs, events or news to you via direct mail, email and/or telemarketing. You may have no relationship with these other companies. We are not responsible for the content of any third party communications sent to you and you will need to opt out of those communications separately, if desired.
- Service Providers: We may share your information with our third party service providers that provide business, professional or technical support functions for us, including to the extent necessary or desirable to help run promotions, fulfill orders, complete your transaction, or provide customer service. These service providers may have access to personal information about our site visitors if it is needed to perform their functions for us, but they are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information, except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with legal requirements.
- Legal Matters; Safety: We may access and disclose your information to respond to judicial process or provide information to law enforcement or regulatory agencies or in connection with an investigation on matters related to public safety, as permitted by law, or otherwise as required by law. We also may disclose your information as necessary, if we believe that there has been a violation of our Terms of Use, or if it is in our interest to protect our property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of our agreements) or the rights or property of any third party.
- Sale or Transfer of Business or Assets: Information about our users, including personal information, may be disclosed and/or sold as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of company assets, or similar transaction by us, as well as in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or receivership in which personal information could be transferred and/or sold to third parties as one of our business assets.
We may also share aggregate or anonymous non-personal information with third parties for their marketing or analytics uses.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS
If you are a California resident, you may opt-out from having your information shared with or sold to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To opt-out, please contact us at [email protected]. You must put the statement “Your California Privacy Rights” in the subject field. We are not responsible for notices that are not labeled or sent properly, or do not have complete information.
Non-affiliated third parties are independent from us and if you wish to receive information about your disclosure choices or stop communications from such third parties, you will need to contact those non-affiliated third parties directly.
CHOICES AND OPT-OUT
Unsubscribing from Communications by Us
We provide our customers with the opportunity to opt-out of having their information used for purposes not directly related to placement, processing, fulfillment, or delivery of a product or service. To opt-out of marketing communications or to request to be added to our Do Not Call List or Do Not Mail List, you may use one of these convenient methods:
- Electronic Promotional Offers: If you receive commercial email from us, you may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions contained within the email. You may also opt-out from receiving commercial email from us by sending us an email or by writing to us at the address given at the end of this policy. You should note that unsubscribing from our electronic mailings will not automatically unsubscribe your information from electronic communications sent by any third party, and you will need to separately unsubscribe from such third party’s communication, if desired.
- Direct Mail Offers: If you do not wish to be notified by postal mail regarding products, services, events, programs, and offers that we believe you may find of interest, you may opt-out from such communications by sending us an email or by writing to us at the address given at the end of this policy.
- Third Party Analytic Technologies: If you would like to opt out of participating in the collection of your web viewing data over time and across unaffiliated sites for interest-based and other applicable use, please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices.
- Telemarketing: If you do not want to receive marketing phone calls from us, you may: (i) email us at [email protected] with “Do Not Call” in the subject line; (ii) call customer care at 800-680-8554; (iii) ask to be placed on our Do Not Call list when you receive a call from us; or (iv) mail us at the address given at the end of this policy. Once we place your name on our internal “Do Not Call” list, we will no longer call you for marketing purposes (unless you submit another inquiry or request another consultation/quote from us subsequent to your initial request). Your instructions to limit the use of your information for these purposes will be processed as soon as reasonably practicable. Also, our Do-Not-Call process applies to calls made by us or by entities on our behalf. You may still receive calls from third parties who are not calling on our behalf regarding their products and services in which case you will need to request that those parties not call you, on a case-by-case basis.
Unsubscribing from Third Party Communications
Any third parties to whom we may disclose personal information may have their own privacy policies which describe how they use and disclose personal information, and your choices. If you want to learn more about their privacy practices, we encourage you to visit the websites of those third parties.
CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
Protecting children’s privacy is important to us. We do not direct the Site to, nor do we knowingly collect any personal information from, children who are under the age of 13. If we learn that a child under the age of 13 has provided personal information to the Site, we will use reasonable efforts to remove such information from our files.
LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
For your convenience, the Site may contain links to other websites, products, or services that we do not own or operate and which have privacy policies that differ from our own. If you choose to visit or use any third-party products or services, please be aware that this policy will not apply to your activities or any information you disclose while interacting with third parties, and we are not responsible for the practices of such third parties or websites.
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
The Site is hosted in the United States and is generally intended for United States visitors. If you visit from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, please be aware that you are transferring personal information to the United States. The United States does not have the same data protection laws as the EU and some other regions. By providing personal information to us, you consent to the transfer of it to the United States and the use of it in accordance with this policy.
DATA SECURITY
We use reasonable security measures that are designed to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Please note, however, that no data security measures can be guaranteed to be completely effective. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any personal information or other information. You transmit personal information to us at your own risk.
UPDATES TO THIS POLICY
We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When we do, we will we will post the change(s) on the Site also update the “last updated” date at the end of this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes means you accept the changes. We encourage you to periodically review this policy to stay informed about how we collect, use, and disclose personal information. If we change the Privacy Statement in a material way, we will provide appropriate notice to you.
CONTACTING US
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this privacy policy, email us at [email protected].
This policy was last updated December 9th, 2016.