Privacy

Privacy policy

This policy covers whatsolarcosts.com. The short version: you can use the calculator and read every guide on this site without telling us who you are. You only give us contact details if you choose to ask for installer quotes.

What we collect without contact details

When you run the calculator we store the inputs and results — state, monthly bill, usage estimate, offset target, battery interest and the calculated figures — along with the calculator version. This is not linked to a name, email address or phone number. We also collect standard technical and usage data needed for security, abuse prevention and reliability, and Google Analytics collects website-usage information.

What we collect when you request quotes

The quote request form is optional and appears only after your estimate is already on screen. If you submit it, we collect your name, email address, optional phone number, ZIP code, property type, project timeline, your confirmation that you own the property, and the calculator result attached to your request. We also record the page you submitted from, the referring site and any campaign parameters in the URL.

Who we share it with, and why

If you submit a quote request, we share those details with one or more solar installers who serve your area so they can contact you with a quote. That is the entire purpose of the form, and it is stated on the form before you submit. Those installers pay us for the referral, which is how the calculator stays free and ungated.

We do not sell your contact details to unrelated marketers, data brokers or lead aggregators. We use service providers to run the site and deliver notifications — currently Cloudflare (hosting and database), Google Analytics (usage measurement) and an email delivery provider. We may disclose information where required by law.

Requests made through an AI assistant

An AI assistant you are using can ask us to request installer quotes for you. When it does, we email the address it gave us a single confirmation link. Nothing is shared with any installer unless you open that link and confirm; if you do not, the request expires after 72 hours and we erase the name, email address and phone number it carried. The email has a "This wasn't me" option, which also stops us emailing that address about this again — we keep only a one-way hash of the address to honour that. We record which consent wording was shown and agreed to, and that you confirmed. We use a phone number only if you told the assistant you agreed to be called or texted.

Contact from installers

By submitting the quote request form, or by confirming a request an assistant made for you, you agree that participating installers may contact you about a solar quote by email. If you gave a telephone number and agreed to calls or texts, they may also contact you by telephone and SMS at that number, which may involve automated dialling. Consent is not a condition of purchase, message and data rates may apply, and you can ask any installer to stop contacting you at any time.

Installer applications

If you apply through our installer page we store your company details, contact information, licence number, service area and stated plan interest so we can evaluate and administer the partnership.

Retention and your choices

We keep quote requests for as long as needed to administer the referral and our records, and anonymous calculator data indefinitely for improving the model. You can ask us to access, correct or delete your information by emailing us, and we will act on the request. Depending on where you live you may have additional rights under state privacy law, including the right to opt out of the sharing described above.

This site is not directed at children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect their information.

Last updated October 7, 2026. This policy is written in plain language and has not been reviewed by a lawyer; it should be reviewed by counsel — along with TCPA consent language, state privacy disclosures and any required do-not-sell mechanism — before lead volume scales.