Last updated: FACT NEEDED: date of publication
Draft note (remove before publishing): This is a draft, not legal advice. Have a solicitor review it before it goes live, and resolve every CONFIRM and FACT NEEDED marker first.
This notice explains what personal information Solar Works collects, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it and what your rights are. We've tried to keep it short and in plain English. If anything is unclear, ask us.
1. Who we are
Solar Works is the trading name of Solar Works Electrical Contractors Limited, a company registered in Ireland (company number 730313 CONFIRM: check against the CRO register). We design and install solar PV, batteries and related equipment for homes and businesses.
We are the "controller" of your personal information. That means we decide how and why it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it.
- Registered office: FACT NEEDED: registered office address as shown on the CRO register
- Base: Baldoyle, Co. Dublin
- Email: info@solar-works.ie
- Phone / WhatsApp: 087 760 3644
- Privacy contact: Darren Morris CONFIRM: the person who handles privacy requests
We are a small business and are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. CONFIRM
2. What we collect and where it comes from
When you fill in our survey or quote form
- Your name, mobile number and email address
- Your Eircode or area
- Whether you own the property, rent it, or it's a business premises
- Property type (for example semi-detached, bungalow, farm, commercial)
- A rough range for your bi-monthly electricity bill
- What you're interested in (solar panels, battery, EV charger, or you already have solar)
- When you hope to go ahead
- Roof direction (optional)
- How you heard about us (optional)
- Anything else you choose to tell us in the notes box (optional)
- Whether you agreed to us contacting you about your enquiry, and whether you opted in to marketing updates, with the date and time
The form also records some technical details about how you reached our website: the page you filled the form in on, and, if you arrived from an advert or a tracked link, the campaign details (such as utm_source and utm_campaign) and any advertising click ID in the web address (Google's gclid, gbraid or wbraid, or Meta's fbclid). We use these to see which adverts lead to real enquiries. See section 3 and the cookie section below.
When you phone us
If you call a number shown on our website or in our adverts, our phone system records your phone number, the date, time and length of the call, and which number or advert you called from. CONFIRM: whether GoHighLevel call tracking or another call tracking service is used. CONFIRM: whether calls are recorded. If they are, say so here, say why, and say how long recordings are kept. If not, write "We do not record calls."
When you message us on WhatsApp or by SMS, or email us
Your phone number or email address, your WhatsApp profile name and picture (if you've set them), and whatever you send us: messages, photos (for example of your roof, fuse board or meter), documents and electricity bills.
When we survey, quote and install
- Your address, Eircode and property details
- Photos and measurements of your roof, attic, fuse board, meter and the install location
- Your electricity usage: bills, and smart meter usage data if you choose to download it from ESB Networks and send it to us
- Your MPRN (the 11-digit number on your electricity bill) and the name on the electricity account
- Details needed for grant and grid paperwork: SEAI application details, Letter of Offer, BER details, the ESB Networks NC6 microgeneration form, test and commissioning certificates, and signatures on the forms that need them
- The system design, proposal and quote, and your acceptance
- Invoices, payments received and payment method (we don't store full card numbers) CONFIRM
- Photos of the finished install, which the SEAI grant process requires. We'll only use these on our website or social media if you agree, and never with a house number showing.
- If you register for your inverter or battery monitoring app, or ask us to do it for you: your email address and system performance data CONFIRM: which manufacturer apps are used, and whether Solar Works has installer access to customers' monitoring data
Reviews
If you leave a review of us on Google, Trustpilot or another site, we can see your public name and review, and we may reply publicly. We'll only copy your review onto our own website or adverts with your permission. CONFIRM
When you use our website
With your consent, analytics and advertising cookies collect information about your visit. See the cookie section below. Our website host also keeps basic server logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested, date and time) for security. CONFIRM: what the chosen host logs and for how long
Please don't send us sensitive information (for example about health) unless it's genuinely relevant to your installation and you're happy for us to have it.
3. Why we use your information, and our legal basis
Data protection law says we must have a legal basis for each use of your information.
| What we do | Legal basis (GDPR Article 6) |
|---|---|
| Reply to your enquiry, arrange a survey and prepare a quote | Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Carry out the installation, after-care, warranty work and service | Performing our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Prepare and submit grid paperwork to ESB Networks (NC6) and help with your SEAI grant application and claim | Performing our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b)), and meeting the requirements of the SEAI grant scheme and ESB Networks' connection rules CONFIRM |
| Electrical safety certification (for example Safe Electric completion certificates) | Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) CONFIRM |
| Keep invoices and accounting records | Legal obligation under tax law (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
| Follow up on an enquiry or quote you haven't answered (a small number of times, not indefinitely) | Our legitimate interest in following up enquiries people have asked us for (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Send you marketing updates by email, SMS or WhatsApp | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a)). For existing customers, we may instead send updates about similar services under the "existing customer" rule in Irish e-privacy law, and you can opt out at any time |
| Use analytics cookies to understand how our website is used | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a), and Regulation 5(3) of the ePrivacy Regulations) |
| Use advertising cookies, and tell Google (or Meta, if used) when an ad click led to an enquiry, survey or sale, so we can measure and improve our ads | Your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and ePrivacy Regulation 5(3)). If you choose "Essential only", we don't set these cookies or share these details with Google or Meta CONFIRM: how GoHighLevel handles click IDs when consent is refused |
| Reply to public reviews | Our legitimate interest in responding to feedback (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Keep the website secure and prevent spam or fraud | Our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Deal with complaints, warranty claims and legal claims | Our legitimate interest in defending our business (Art. 6(1)(f)), or legal obligation |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed our interests against yours. You can object at any time (see section 7).
You don't have to give us your information. But we can't quote for or install a system without it, and some details (for example the MPRN) are required by SEAI and ESB Networks.
We don't make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects.
4. Who we share it with
We only share what each organisation needs.
Service providers who act for us (processors). They may only use your information on our instructions, under a written contract.
| Provider | What they do for us | Where the data may go |
|---|---|---|
| GoHighLevel (HighLevel Inc. / LeadConnector LLC) CONFIRM | Customer records (CRM), website form, SMS, call tracking, appointment booking | USA |
| Google (Google Workspace) CONFIRM | Email and file storage | EU and USA |
| Google (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager), only if you accept cookies CONFIRM | Website statistics and advert measurement | EU and USA |
| Pylon CONFIRM | Solar design and proposals | CONFIRM: UK and/or other |
| QuickBooks (Intuit) CONFIRM | Invoices and accounts | CONFIRM: likely USA |
| Website host CONFIRM: Hosting Ireland (Team Blue), Netlify or Cloudflare | Runs our website | CONFIRM |
| FACT NEEDED: any other tools, e.g. accountant's software, cloud storage, GrantDocs, OpenSolar, monitoring portals |
Organisations that make their own decisions about your data (independent controllers). Their own privacy notices apply.
| Organisation | Why |
|---|---|
| SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) CONFIRM | Grant applications and claims, and scheme audits and inspections |
| ESB Networks DAC CONFIRM | NC6 microgeneration notification (or NC7 for larger systems) and grid connection |
| Safe Electric / RECI CONFIRM | Electrical safety certification |
| BER assessor CONFIRM | The post-works BER needed for the SEAI grant |
| Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd (Facebook, Instagram), only if you accept advertising cookies and we use the Meta pixel CONFIRM: whether the Meta pixel will be used. If not, delete this row | Advert measurement. For data collected by the pixel on our site, we and Meta are joint controllers for the collection and sending of that data |
| WhatsApp Ireland Ltd CONFIRM: WhatsApp Business app, or WhatsApp through GoHighLevel | Provides WhatsApp messaging when you message us there |
| Equipment manufacturers and suppliers CONFIRM | Warranty registration and claims |
| Our accountant, insurers and legal advisers CONFIRM | Professional advice, insurance and claims |
| Revenue, An Garda Síochána, courts or regulators | Only where the law requires it |
We don't sell your personal information.
5. Transfers outside the EU
Some of our providers (for example GoHighLevel, Google and Intuit) are based in, or use servers in, the United States or elsewhere outside the European Economic Area. When your information goes outside the EEA, we make sure it's protected by one of these:
- the provider is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which the European Commission has found gives adequate protection;
- Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, in the provider's data processing terms; or
- the country has an EU adequacy decision (the UK does, for example).
CONFIRM: check each provider's data processing agreement and Data Privacy Framework listing before publishing. You can ask us for more detail on the safeguards used.
6. How long we keep it
We keep information only for as long as we need it, then delete it or anonymise it.
| Information | How long CONFIRM all periods |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that don't go ahead (form entries, call logs, messages) | 12 months after our last contact with you |
| Quotes that aren't accepted | 2 years after the quote date |
| Customer job files (design, certificates, NC6, grant paperwork, install photos, correspondence) | For the length of our workmanship warranty plus 6 years FACT NEEDED: length of the workmanship warranty, and in any case at least 6 years after the installation |
| Invoices and accounting records | 6 years from the end of the accounting period they relate to (tax law) |
| Call recordings (if we record calls) | CONFIRM: e.g. 90 days |
| WhatsApp and SMS messages | Anything relevant to a job goes into the job file. The rest is deleted after 12 months |
| Marketing list | Until you unsubscribe. We then keep your contact details on a "do not contact" list so we don't message you again |
| Records of consents you've given | For as long as the consent applies, plus 3 years |
| Website analytics data in Google Analytics | CONFIRM: set GA4 data retention to 2 months or 14 months |
| Cookies | See the cookie table below |
We may keep information longer if we need it for a complaint, warranty claim or legal claim that is ongoing.
7. Your rights
You have the right to:
- access a copy of the information we hold about you;
- have inaccurate information corrected;
- have information deleted where we no longer need it or you withdraw consent (unless we must keep it, for example invoices for tax);
- restrict how we use it in some circumstances;
- port information you gave us to another organisation, in a common electronic format, where we use it based on consent or contract;
- object to us using it based on legitimate interests; and you can always object to direct marketing;
- withdraw consent at any time, for example by unticking cookies in "Cookie settings" or replying STOP to a text. This doesn't affect anything we did before you withdrew.
To use any of these rights, email info@solar-works.ie or call 087 760 3644. It's free. We'll reply within one month (we can extend this by up to two more months for complex requests, and we'll tell you if we do). We may ask for proof of identity first.
8. Complaints
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please tell us first so we can try to put it right.
You also have the right to complain to the Data Protection Commission, Ireland's data protection regulator:
- Website: www.dataprotection.ie (use the online contact form)
- Post: Data Protection Commission, 6 Pembroke Row, Dublin 2, D02 X963
- Phone (general information only): 01 765 0100 or 1800 437 737
9. Marketing
We'll only send you marketing updates by email, SMS or WhatsApp if you tick the optional marketing box on our form, or if you're an existing customer and we're telling you about similar services (for example a battery for your existing system). Every message includes a simple way to opt out, and you can also just tell us. Saying no to marketing never affects your quote or service.
Contacting you about your own enquiry, survey or installation is not marketing.
10. Children
Our services are for adults. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
11. Changes to this notice
We'll update this notice when our tools or practices change. The date at the top shows the latest version.
Cookies
Cookies are small files that a website stores on your device. We also use similar browser storage (localStorage and sessionStorage), which works the same way. The same rules apply.
Essential cookies and storage are needed for the website to work or to remember your cookie choice. They don't need consent.
Analytics and advertising cookies are only set if you click "Accept all". If you click "Essential only", they aren't set.
You can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page.
| Name | Provider | Type | Purpose | How long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
sw_consent (localStorage) |
Solar Works | Essential | Remembers your cookie choice | Until you clear your browser storage CONFIRM: consider re-asking after 6–12 months |
sw_gclid, sw_gbraid, sw_wbraid, sw_fbclid, sw_utm_* (sessionStorage) |
Solar Works | Advertising / measurement CONFIRM: see notes. Store these only after consent | Keeps the advert and campaign details from the web address you arrived on, so they can be sent with your form | Until you close the browser tab |
_ga, _ga_<ID> |
Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguish visitors and sessions to produce website statistics | Up to 2 years |
_gcl_au, _gcl_aw, _gcl_gb |
Google Ads | Advertising | Link an ad click to a later enquiry (conversion measurement) | 90 days |
_fbp, _fbc |
Meta, only if the Meta pixel is used CONFIRM | Advertising | Link Facebook or Instagram ad clicks to enquiries | 90 days |
| CONFIRM: any GoHighLevel form, chat or call tracking cookies | GoHighLevel | CONFIRM | CONFIRM | CONFIRM |
Clicking our WhatsApp button opens WhatsApp, and clicking a phone number opens your phone's dialler. Neither sets cookies on our site, but WhatsApp's own privacy policy applies once you use it.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential storage may mean we ask for your cookie choice on every visit.