Privacy Policy | Bee Solar UK | Data Protection & GDPR
Read the Bee Solar UK privacy policy to understand how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who We Are
Bee Solar Ltd is the data controller for personal data collected when you visit our website or use our solar energy services. For more about Bee Solar, see our About Us page.
This Privacy Policy is governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. As the data controller, Bee Solar Ltd is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data, and it sets out the choices you have over that data. For a complete overview of our legal framework, please see our full set of legal documents.
2. Information We Collect
We collect and process the following categories of personal data:
- Contact information: name, email address, phone number, and postal address.
- Business information: company name, job title, and business address.
- Technical information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing behaviour on our website.
- Service information: energy consumption data, site details, and project specifications provided during consultations for quotations, installations, or monitoring.
- Marketing preferences: your preferences for receiving marketing communications from us.
Contact & Business
Names, emails, phone numbers, company details and business addresses.
Technical Data
IP address, browser type, operating system and browsing behaviour.
Service & Preferences
Energy use, site details, project specs and marketing preferences.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data for the following purposes, as detailed in the terms that govern our services:
- To provide and manage our solar energy services, including responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
- To process and manage installations, maintenance, and monitoring contracts, including handling project specifics like your site details and energy consumption data.
- To send you marketing communications only where you have given your explicit consent.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including requirements related to grid connections and reporting.
- To improve our website, services, and customer experience through the analysis of technical data like browsing behaviour.
For more information on how we handle monitoring data, please see our Solar Monitoring service page.
Respond & Quote
We use contact and site details to respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
Deliver & Manage
We process installations, maintenance and monitoring contracts securely.
Improve & Comply
We analyse technical data to improve experience and meet legal obligations.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on one or more of the following four legal bases:
- Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, such as providing quotations, installations, maintenance, or monitoring services.
- Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services and preventing fraud, provided your rights do not override those interests.
- Consent: where you have given explicit consent, for example to receive marketing emails. You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
- Legal obligation: where we are required to process data to comply with the law, such as retaining records for tax or regulatory purposes.
For more on our regulatory and compliance obligations, please see our guide to commercial solar regulations.
| Legal Basis | When we use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | To fulfil obligations to you | Quotations & installations |
| Legitimate interests | To improve & protect services | Fraud prevention |
| Consent | Where you gave explicit consent | Marketing emails |
| Legal obligation | To comply with law | Tax & regulatory records |
5. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
We share your data with trusted third parties only where necessary to provide our services, including:
- Finance partners when you request solar financing quotations so they can assess your application.
- Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) for grid connection applications on your behalf.
- Regulatory bodies where required by law.
- IT and cloud service providers who host our systems and process data on our instructions.
Finance & DNOs
Finance partners for applications and DNOs for grid connections.
Regulatory Bodies
Shared only where required by law or regulation.
IT & Cloud
Trusted hosts processing data on our instructions.
6. Data Retention
For active clients, we retain personal data for the duration of the contract plus 7 years. For prospective clients who do not proceed, we retain data for 2 years unless you request deletion.
This retention schedule is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which data was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Where you have a contract with us, the 7-year period aligns with our legal obligations related to financial records and potential warranty claims.
| Client Type | Retention Period | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Active clients | Contract + 7 years | Financial & warranty obligations |
| Prospects not proceeding | 2 years unless deletion requested | Quotation follow-up |
7. Your Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
- The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- The right to request deletion of your personal data (right to erasure).
- The right to object to or restrict certain types of processing, including processing based on legitimate interests.
- The right to data portability, which allows you to obtain and reuse your data for your own purposes.
- The right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the details in the Contact Us section. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by UK GDPR.
9. Contact Us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or requests to exercise data protection rights should be sent to the Data Protection Officer.
Data Protection Officer
Email: [email protected]
Post: 16 Queen St, Manchester M2 5HS
Data Security and Policy Updates
We are committed to protecting your personal data using industry-standard measures, including appropriate technical and organisational controls to prevent unauthorised access, loss, or alteration. We do not promise absolute security, but we continuously review our practices to safeguard your information.
Any material changes to this Privacy Policy will be reflected in this document when published. Where changes are significant, we will take appropriate steps to notify you in accordance with legal requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the data controller for Bee Solar UK and which laws apply?
Bee Solar Ltd is the data controller. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply.
What categories of personal data does Bee Solar Ltd collect?
We collect contact, business, technical, and service information, plus marketing preferences.
What are the four legal bases for processing?
Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation.
How long does Bee Solar Ltd keep active client data and unused quotation data?
Active client data is kept for the duration of the contract plus 7 years. Unused quotation data from prospects who do not proceed is kept for 2 years unless deletion is requested.
Does Bee Solar Ltd sell personal data, and who can it be shared with?
We do not sell personal data. We share data with finance partners, Distribution Network Operators, regulatory bodies, and IT/cloud service providers only where necessary to provide services to you.
How do I contact the Data Protection Officer to exercise my UK GDPR rights?
Email [email protected] or write to 16 Queen St, Manchester M2 5HS.
If you have any questions about our privacy policy, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.