Privacy Policy
Your privacy matters, and we keep this simple and honest. This policy explains what we collect, why, and the control you have over it.
The short version
We ask for your name, email, phone and home address only so a Golden State Solar Guide specialist can talk with you about solar for your home. We use it for that and nothing else. We never sell your information. You can delete your data yourself any time (verified by a quick text), or email info@goldenstatesolarguide.com.
Who we are
Golden State Solar Guide is an independent information resource for Northern California homeowners. We are not a utility, not affiliated with PG&E, and not a solar installer. We help you understand your options and, if you ask, connect you with a licensed local professional.
What we collect
Information you give us. When you use a form or the chat assistant you may share your first and last name, email address, phone number, home or service address, and the contents of your messages.
Utility bills & energy-usage data (optional). If you choose to upload one, we collect your utility bill (PDF or photo) or a Green Button usage export (CSV/XML/ZIP). These can include your service address, utility account number, rate plan, and your hourly or monthly electricity consumption. We use them for one purpose: to size a solar system to your actual usage and to give the specialist who follows up an accurate picture. A bill PDF or photo is read by our AI provider (Anthropic) to extract those figures; Green Button files are parsed on our own server and are never sent to an AI provider. You can skip this and we’ll estimate from your address instead.
Information collected automatically. To run the site we store small amounts of data in your browser (see “Cookies & local storage” below), such as your cookie choice, your light/dark preference, and details you enter into the chat so you don’t have to retype them. When you submit a form or message, we also log your IP address and basic browser information (user-agent) alongside it, to prevent spam and abuse. If you submit a form, we include a short summary of your visit — roughly how long you spent on the site, how many pages you viewed, and which page you spent the most time on — so the specialist who follows up can help you more relevantly. That summary is kept only in your browser (session storage) until you choose to submit, and it is never used for advertising. We do not run advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
- We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.
- We do not collect payment information on this site.
Why we use it
- To reply to you and answer your questions about solar.
- To have a specialist follow up about solar for your home, when you ask us to.
- To connect you with a vetted, licensed local solar professional — only if you request it.
- To run and improve the site (for example, keeping the chat assistant working).
We do not use your details for any purpose you didn’t ask for.
How we share it — and how we don’t
We never sell your personal information, and we don’t share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
We share it only in these limited ways:
- With a local professional you ask us to connect you with, so they can prepare a quote.
- With service providers who run the site for us. They may only use the data to provide their service to us:
• Anthropic — powers the chat assistant (it receives your chat messages and your name/contact details so it can respond in context) and reads any bill PDF or photo you upload.
• Twilio — sends the one-time verification code to your mobile number.
• komoot GmbH (Photon) and OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) — address look-up. When you type an address into any form on this site, what you type is sent to them as you type it, so we can suggest matching addresses.
• Google — the Solar API estimates your roof’s potential from your address (we call it from our server, so Google does not receive your IP address), and Google Fonts serves the site’s typefaces.
• Esri — supplies the satellite imagery tiles shown in the Rooftop Designer.
- If the law requires it, or to protect rights and safety.
Cookies & local storage
We keep the site lightweight. We store only what’s needed to make it work:
- your cookie-consent choice, so we don’t ask again;
- your theme (light/dark) preference;
- the lead details and messages you enter in the chat, so the conversation persists.
Analytics: if you press Accept on the cookie notice, we load Google Analytics (GA4) to measure aggregate site traffic — which pages are visited and how people find us — so we can improve the site. It sets analytics cookies and shares usage data with Google as our service provider. If you press Decline (or ignore the notice), analytics does not load. We never use advertising trackers and we never sell your information.
Your California privacy rights
If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA gives you the right to:
- Know what personal information we hold about you and how we use it;
- Access a copy of it;
- Correct or Delete it;
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information — though we don’t sell or share it for advertising in the first place;
- Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
To delete your data instantly, use our self-serve deletion tool (verified by a text to your phone). For anything else, email info@goldenstatesolarguide.com and we’ll take care of it, verifying your request using the contact details we have on file.
How long we keep it & how we protect it
We now enforce set retention limits automatically: uploaded utility bills and usage exports are deleted after 180 days, and contact details and chat transcripts after 24 months of no contact — or sooner if you ask. Lead information is stored on our own server, encrypted in transit, restricted to the accounts that need it, and password-protected.
About backups: we keep encrypted-at-rest daily backups for up to 30 days for disaster recovery. When you ask us to delete your data we erase it from the live system straight away; any copy inside an existing backup is overwritten as that backup ages out, and we do not use backup data in the meantime. No method of storage is perfectly secure, but we limit what we collect and who can see it.
Changes to this policy
If we make a meaningful change we’ll update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact us
Questions, or want your information deleted? Email info@goldenstatesolarguide.com and a real person will help.