This Privacy Policy outlines how Ontario Solar Installers (“we,” “our,” or “us”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). By using our website and services, you consent to the practices described herein.
Ontario Solar Installers is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
Ontario Solar Installers may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from June 5, 2011.
Information we collect
We collect and share your personal information with our trusted partners for the purpose of providing you with solar panel quotes. We request that these partners adhere to privacy standards comparable to ours; however, we cannot guarantee or reinforce their compliance. The information we collect through either an online form or via chat bot includes:
- Name and Address: To locate your residence on mapping services and determine suitable locations for solar panels.
- Contact Information: Including email and phone number, to send you quotes and communicate with you.
- Electricity Consumption Details: Such as a copy of your hydro bill, to design and size a solar PV system matching your energy needs.
- Project-Specific Information: Details about your solar panel project, roof type, and status of applications for solar subsidies.
How we use your information
We use the collected information for the following purposes:
- Providing Services: To connect you with our trusted partners and ensure you receive accurate solar panel quotes.
- Understanding Your Needs: To tailor our services to your specific goals and project details.
- Improving Our Services: To enhance our offerings and monitor website usage.
- Technical Issues: To detect, prevent, and address technical problems.
- Promotional Communications: With your consent, to send periodic emails and text messages about special offers or information we believe may interest you.
- Market Research: To contact you for feedback via phone or email to improve our services.
Security
We are committed to safeguarding your personal information through various measures, including:
- Physical Safeguards: Secure facilities and restricted access to authorized personnel.
- Electronic Safeguards: Use of encryption, firewalls, and secure servers.
- Managerial Safeguards: Employee training and implementation of internal policies to protect data privacy.
If you are under 18
If you are under 18, be sure to obtain your parent or guardian’s permission before you send any personal information to us, or anyone else, over the Internet. We encourage parents to get involved with their children’s online usage and to be aware of the activities in which they are participating
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyze web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyze data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This however may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Consent
By providing your personal information, you consent to its collection, use, and disclosure as outlined in this policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us; however, this may affect our ability to provide you with certain services.
Controlling your personal information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
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whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
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if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to info(at)ontario-solar-installers.ca or emailing us here
- if you submit your request through either an online form or via chat bot, you will have an option to consent to have your personal information removed from our database by contacting us here or emailing us at info(at)ontario-solar-installers.ca
Social Media Features and Widgets
Our website includes Social Media Features, such as the Facebook Like button and Widgets, such as the Share this button or interactive mini-programs that run on our site. These features may collect your IP address, which page you are visiting on our site, and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Site. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.
To whom do we disclose personal information, and why?
Under certain circumstances we may be required to disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).
Once you complete a request form on ontario-solar-installers.ca, your personal information will be shared with solar panel installation companies in Ontario to provide you with a quote. This will be clearly indicated, and it is part of the quoting process.
We may also disclose your personal information when we use third parties to provide the online quotes you receive on our site or to assist us in advertising our services to you.
With respect to the quotes you get, the only information shared with a third party is the information required to provide you with an accurate quote. Depending on the type of quote you are seeking, this information may be comprised of one or more of the following: your name, address, email, telephone number, kWh consumption, details about your project, copy of the hydro bill (if available). This information is only shared as necessary for the third party to provide you with an accurate quote. Be aware that our websites may contain links to other websites provided and maintained exclusively by third parties not subject to this Privacy Policy.
Where we store your personal information
The security of your data is important to us but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Your personal information may be processed and stored outside of Ontario and/or outside of Canada by us, an affiliate or a third-party service provider for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We only do so as allowed by law and with adequate protections. However, you should know that personal information is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is stored. This means that, in certain circumstances foreign courts, law enforcement agencies or regulatory agencies may be entitled to access your personal information.
How long do we keep you information
We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law. Once your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.
Accessing/ Correcting/ Deleting your personal information:
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. Upon request, Ontario Solar Installers will provide you access to your personal information. You may access, correct, or request deletion of your personal information by calling (905) 617-6527, emailing info(at)ontario-solar-installers.ca If you would like a copy of the information held on you please contact us.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
This Privacy Policy is available to the public in electronic form at https://ontario-solar-installers.ca/privacy-policy We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The effective date of the current policy is January 15, 2025. We encourage you to review this page regularly to stay informed about how we protect your information.
