Homewise Privacy Policy

Introduction

Explained below is how we handle the data we collect from you, how this data is used and your rights in relation to data protection law.

Access to Homewise is provided to you by Energy Saving Trust on behalf of North East Combined Authority.

Energy Saving Trust is an independent organisation dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use. We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as we transition to net zero. We empower householders to make better choices, deliver transformative programmes for governments and support businesses with strategy, research and assurance – enabling everyone to play their part in building a sustainable future.

We are independent and impartial, so the advice we give is all about helping you. Energy Saving Trust will treat any personal data you provide us carefully and securely.

Energy Saving Trust does not make cold calls (we do not sell insulation or solar panels, etc). If you are receiving cold calls from an organisation, the Information Commissioner’s Office has some useful advice and, if you haven’t already, it may be worth considering registering with the Telephone Preference Service.

Energy Saving Trust’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted by writing to Energy Saving Trust, 223-231 Pentonville Road, London, England, N1 9NG, or at DataProtectionOfficer@est.org.uk.

North East Combined Authority’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted by writing to 1st Floor, The Lumen, Helix, St James Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5BZ or at dataprotection@northeast-ca.gov.uk.

How we handle your information

When we collect data from you

Your information will only be processed when there is a lawful basis for doing so.

Energy Saving Trust will process your information:

• When it is necessary to fulfil our own legitimate interest in providing the Homewise tool for use
• When it is necessary to fulfil our own legitimate interest of maintaining the functionality of our tool
• When it is necessary to fulfil our own legitimate interest of carrying out monitoring, analysis and evaluation of our tool and the Home Energy Advice North East service
• When it is necessary to fulfil our own legitimate interest of monitoring the geographical usage of our tool
• When we obtain your consent to send you newsletters, and other promotional communications

North East Combined Authority will process your information:

• When it is necessary for the performance of a public task, i.e. providing the Homewise tool for use
• When it is necessary to fulfil our own legitimate interest of carrying out monitoring, analysis and evaluation of the Home Energy Advice North East service
• When we obtain your consent to provide tailored advice, guidance and referrals regarding energy efficiency and retrofit grants

What information we will collect about you

We might collect:

• contact information (e.g. name, postal address, email address)
• information about your property (e.g. property age, level of insulation, type of heating)
• information about occupants in your home (e.g. number of occupants, heating pattern, number of baths/showers)

Some of this information may, in some cases, be considered as not being personal data, e.g. information purely about your property, such as property type or energy saving measures.

Why we ask for this information

We only ask for your information where we have a lawful basis for doing so. Most commonly, we will process your information to:

• provide energy advice accurate to you
• respond to requests, enquiries and complaints received from you
• contact you about services requested by you
• evaluate customer satisfaction and collect feedback on your experience using
• keep our records up to date

We will ask for information about your property and the occupants within it so that we can:

• offer a simplified user journey by pre-populating Homewise with information about your home
• provide you with accurate and tailored energy efficiency advice analyse householder trends and preferences
• improve the quality of our national housing stock database (Home Analytics)
• monitor the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock, and assist in targeting services and new schemes

Where we collect information about you

We will collect your personal data directly from you through the course of your interaction with our tool, and any other correspondence with us.

Sharing information about you

We sometimes use other companies and organisations (third parties) to process personal information for us. For example, we use third parties to:

• maintain our IT systems
• carry out research

Some of your information may be shared:

• with your local authority, so that they can target specific areas for energy efficiency measures and schemes
• with devolved and national government so that they can monitor household trends and the success of schemes to encourage the uptake of renewables and mitigate the impacts of fuel poverty

Direct marketing

Energy Saving Trust and North East Combined Authority will only send you direct marketing information if you have agreed to receive this information when you provided your contact details, or when you have specifically asked us to send you direct marketing.

You have the right to stop us using information about you for direct marketing purposes. You can do this at any time even if you previously consented to receive direct marketing. If you wish to change your marketing settings, either select the link included in emails or contact us directly to let us know. You can contact Energy Saving Trust here, and North East Combined Authority by emailing dataprotection@northeast-ca.gov.uk. We will change your setting as soon as we are able and at least within 28 days.

Google Analytics advertising

Energy Saving Trust has implemented the following Google Analytics advertising features:

• Remarketing – this enables Energy Saving Trust to display advertising to visitors on our website as they move to other sites
• Display Network Impression Reporting – Energy Saving Trust can use this to understand the impact of adverts displayed on other sites. We will be able to see when someone views an advert elsewhere and then later visits Energy Saving Trust’s website
• Demographics and Interest Reporting – this allows us to obtain anonymous information about the users of our website. For example, we will be able to see how many visitors we had to our site in a particular age range. Find out more about how Google obtains this information

How long we will keep your information

As part of the Homewise service, your information will be kept for:

Contact information

We keep your contact information in line with legislation and statutory guidelines relevant to your relationship with us, and in any case for no longer than seven years from your last active contact with us. All records are destroyed confidentially once their retention period has been met, and Energy Saving Trust has made the decision that the records are no longer required.

Property information

We will keep information about your property indefinitely so that we can ensure our national housing stock database Home Analytics remains as up to date as possible. Extracts of this database are licensed by government bodies and other private organisations for the permitted purposes of improving energy efficiency, increasing adoption of renewable energy and low carbon heating systems, mitigating fuel poverty, and encouraging decarbonation efforts. Your contact details will never be shared alongside your property information.

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights with regards to the personal data we hold and use about you:

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

More information on your rights can be found in Energy Saving Trust’s full privacy policy here and North East Combined Authority’s full privacy policy here.

If you feel that we have not responded appropriately you any requests in relation to your rights, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

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