Privacy Policy

The short version

Most privacy policies are written by lawyers for other lawyers. This one tries to be readable, because the people it most affects — California homeowners trying to figure out who to trust in the solar market — deserve to know what's happening with their information without having to parse legalese.

Here's what this policy actually says:

The Installer's View collects the minimum information needed to do four things: respond to your inquiries, deliver the consulting services you've engaged, understand which articles are useful, and credit affiliate referrals when they happen. Your contact form submissions go to TIV's inbox and nowhere else. Web analytics are anonymized and only run if you accept the cookie notice. The practice does not sell your information for cash, and your name, email, and message are not shared with anyone — including affiliate partners. California residents have specific rights under state law, and the link in the footer of every page (Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information) lets you exercise them.

For paid consulting clients: AI tools are part of the standard production workflow for synthesizing information, organizing documents, and generating drafts. All professional judgments and factual claims in deliverables are reviewed and verified by TIV's principal before delivery. Details are in the Use of AI in service production section below.

If something below contradicts the short version, the longer version controls. But the short version is accurate.

Who this policy applies to

This policy describes how The Installer's View, LLC — an independent solar advisory practice formed as a California Single-Member Limited Liability Company — collects and uses personal information from people who visit theinstallersview.com or contact the practice directly.

The site is intended for California homeowners, but visitors from anywhere are welcome. California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), explained below.

What information is collected

Information you provide directly

When you fill out the contact form on the site, the form collects:

• Your name (first and last)
• Your email address
• The content of your message

That information is sent to the practice's inbox via email and stored only in that inbox. It is not stored in any external database, customer relationship management system, or marketing platform.

If you reply to email correspondence and attach documents — such as a solar proposal, contract, or system monitoring screenshot — those documents are received in the same inbox and treated as confidential client correspondence.

For paid consulting engagements, additional client-provided materials (proposals, contracts, monitoring data, recorded consultation calls if applicable) are handled per the Engagement Agreement signed at the start of each engagement. See the Use of AI in service production section below for how those materials are processed during service delivery.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the site, certain technical information is collected automatically by the platforms the site runs on:

• IP address. Used by the site's caching layer and security plugins to identify suspicious activity, prevent attacks, and serve content from the closest server. IP addresses associated with failed login attempts or attack patterns may be logged for a limited period.
• Browser and device information. Browser type, operating system, screen size, and similar technical details, used to ensure the site renders correctly on different devices.
• Pages viewed and time spent. Aggregated through Google Analytics 4, used to understand which articles are useful and where readers drop off. This information is not collected until you accept the cookie notice. If you decline cookies or use the Do Not Sell or Share link in the footer, no analytics data is collected.

Cookies

The site uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for limited purposes including site functionality, analytics, and recording when you arrive via a referral link. The full cookie practices are described in the Cookie Policy, which is the authoritative source on this topic.

You can opt out of all non-essential cookies through the cookie preference center, accessible via the Cookie preferences link in the site footer.

Information from third parties

The site does not currently purchase information about visitors from data brokers, marketing platforms, or any other third parties. If this changes in the future, this policy will be updated and the change will be noted in the Last updated date above.

How information is used

The information collected is used for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries. When you submit the contact form or email the practice directly, your information is used to write back to you and, if applicable, provide the consulting service you've engaged.
• To deliver paid consulting services. Documents, monitoring data, contract copies, and related materials provided by paid consulting clients are reviewed and analyzed as part of the engagement. See Use of AI in service production for how these materials are processed.
• To improve the site. Aggregated analytics data informs editorial decisions — which articles to write next, which sections need clearer explanations, which pages aren't serving readers well.
• To protect the site and its visitors. Security plugins use IP and behavior data to block brute-force attacks, malicious bots, and other abuse.
• To credit affiliate referrals. When readers click through to a partner's site and make a purchase, that partner uses cookies to credit the referral so the practice receives the affiliate commission. The practice does not receive the buyer's name, payment information, or any details about what they purchased — only that a referral converted.
• To comply with legal obligations. Tax records, financial records, and similar documentation are retained as required by law.

For paid consulting engagements, additional terms regarding the handling of client-provided documents, recordings, and other materials are set forth in the Engagement Agreement signed at the start of each engagement. Where the Engagement Agreement and this Privacy Policy address the same topic for active clients, the Engagement Agreement controls for that engagement.

Use of AI in service production

This section describes how artificial intelligence (AI) tools are used in the delivery of paid consulting services. It does not apply to general site visitors or to information collected through the contact form or web analytics.

Standard workflow

AI tools are part of TIV's standard production workflow for paid consulting engagements. AI assists with information synthesis, document organization, transcript handling (for recorded consultation calls where the client has consented to recording), and draft generation. AI does not make professional judgments, recommendations, or factual claims that go to clients without review and verification by TIV's principal. The principal's professional judgment is the deliverable; AI is the leverage that makes thorough analysis economically feasible.

Vendor selection criteria

AI vendors used by TIV must meet the following criteria:

• Client data is not used to train the AI provider's models
• Data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• Data retention by AI providers is limited and reviewed periodically

Specific AI tools used by TIV may change over time as the practice refines its workflow and as the AI vendor landscape evolves. The practice does not name specific tools in public materials because the names will change; the criteria above are durable.

Scope limitation

AI processing applies only to documents, transcripts, and materials received as part of an active paid consulting engagement. No information collected via the contact form, email correspondence outside of an active engagement, or routine site analytics is processed by AI tools.

How information is shared

The practice does not sell your personal information. Under California law, the term sell has a broader meaning than a cash transaction — it includes some advertising and data-sharing arrangements. The practice does not engage in any of those either, with one limited exception described below under Affiliate referrals.

Service providers

The site relies on a small number of third-party service providers to function. Each receives only the information necessary to perform its function. The list below reflects the providers currently in use; providers may be added, removed, or replaced as the practice's operational needs change, and this policy will be updated to reflect material changes:

• Hosting provider (currently SiteGround) — receives all data that passes to the site, governed by the host's own privacy policy.
• Content delivery network and security (currently Cloudflare) — sees visitor IP addresses and basic request data.
• Web analytics (currently Google Analytics 4) — anonymized site usage statistics. Only active after cookie consent.
• Backup service (currently Google Drive via UpdraftPlus) — encrypted backups stored in a private folder accessible only to the practice owner.
• Form processing (currently WPForms) — contact form submissions are emailed and not retained by the form processor.
• Cookie consent management (currently CookieYes).
• Spam protection (currently Google reCAPTCHA) — Google may receive technical signals to determine whether form submissions are from humans or bots.
• Payment processing (currently Stripe, Inc.) — handles all payment card information directly. The practice does not store credit card numbers, bank account details, or similar financial data on its own systems. The payment processor's data handling is governed by its own privacy policy.
• Scheduling (currently Calendly) — for booking calls. Receives the booker's name, email, and answers to scheduling intake questions. The scheduling provider's data handling is governed by its own privacy policy.
• Electronic signature (currently SignWell) — for Engagement Agreements. Receives the signing party's name, email, and the signed agreement. The e-signature provider's data handling is governed by its own privacy policy.
• AI service providers — described in the Use of AI in service production section above. These providers process client-engagement materials only, not general site or contact-form data.

These providers are bound by their own privacy policies and, where applicable, by data processing agreements that limit their use of the information to providing the service.

Affiliate referrals

Some links on the site may be affiliate links to vetted partners. Affiliate partners may include companies in categories such as solar quote-comparison platforms, battery and equipment manufacturers, energy monitoring product makers, hardware and software tools, third-party service providers, and vetted California installers. Specific affiliate relationships are disclosed at the point of recommendation in the relevant article or page, consistent with FTC Endorsement Guides; this Privacy Policy describes the framework rather than listing current partners by name, because the list will change over time.

When a reader clicks one of these links, the destination partner places a cookie on the reader's device to credit any subsequent purchase. The practice receives notification that a referral converted, along with the commission, but does not receive the reader's name, contact information, payment details, or specifics of what was purchased.

For homeowners who request a vetted California installer referral specifically: the practice may receive a referral commission from the installer if a project results, or may provide the list at no charge if requested without a commission relationship attached. In either case, the homeowner's contact information is not shared with installers without explicit homeowner authorization. The homeowner contacts the installer directly using contact information the practice provides.

Readers can opt out of affiliate tracking cookies through the cookie preference center.

Legal compliance

The practice may disclose personal information when required by law — for example, in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or government request. Where legally permitted, the practice will notify the affected person before disclosure.

Business transfers

The practice is operated as a California single-member limited liability company and has no current plans to merge, sell, or transfer ownership. If that ever changes, this policy will be updated before any data transfer occurs, and California residents will retain the right to opt out under CCPA.

Services not yet active

The following services are part of the practice's business model but are not yet integrated with the site. When any of them is activated, this policy will be updated to describe the data flows involved, and the Last updated date will reflect the change.

• Email list (MailerLite). A future email subscription option for readers who want article updates. Will use double opt-in and will be subject to clear unsubscribe controls.

Your rights under California law

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• The right to know what personal information is collected about you, where it came from, why it's collected, and who it's shared with.
• The right to delete personal information collected from you, subject to limited exceptions (for example, information needed to comply with legal obligations or detect security incidents).
• The right to correct inaccurate personal information.
• The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• The right to limit the use of sensitive personal information, where applicable.
• The right to non-discrimination. Exercising any of these rights will not result in worse service, higher fees, or any other adverse treatment.

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, email the practice at advisory@theinstallersview.com with the subject line CCPA Request and a brief description of what you're asking for. Requests are typically processed within 15 business days, and complex requests may take up to 45 days as permitted under California law.

For the right to opt out specifically, the fastest path is the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link in the footer of every page on the site. That link records your opt-out preference immediately.

The practice may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests (particularly deletion or access requests) to prevent unauthorized disclosure of personal information. Verification typically involves confirming details from previous correspondence or contact form submissions.

You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. Authorized agents must provide written permission from you and must verify their own identity.

How long information is kept

• Contact form submissions are kept in the practice owner's email indefinitely, treated the same as any other professional correspondence. You can request deletion at any time under your CCPA rights.
• Server log files and security logs are retained for a limited period (typically 30 days) before being automatically purged. The exact retention period is set by the security plugin's configuration and may change.
• Backup archives are kept on a rolling basis (typically 7 days) before older backups are overwritten. The exact retention period is set by the backup tool's configuration and may change.
• Web analytics data is retained per the analytics provider's default retention period, which is currently approximately 14 months before automatic deletion.
• For paid consulting engagements, recorded consultation calls and transcripts (where the client has consented to recording) are retained for up to two years from the date of the call, then deleted, or sooner if the client requests deletion. AI-processed materials are retained per the AI vendor's data retention terms (subject to the vendor selection criteria above).
• Tax and financial records related to consulting services are retained for the period required by California and federal law (currently 7 years).

Security

Reasonable security measures are in place to protect the information described in this policy. These include:

• HTTPS encryption on every page of the site
• A firewall and malware scanner that blocks known threats
• Limited login attempts and a custom admin URL to prevent brute-force attacks
• Regular automatic backups stored encrypted off-site
• Strong, unique passwords with two-factor authentication on administrator accounts

No system is perfectly secure. If a security incident affects your personal information, you will be notified as required by California law.

Children's privacy

The site is not directed at children under the age of 16, and the practice does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted information through the site, contact the practice immediately and the information will be deleted.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated to reflect changes in the practice's data handling, the addition of new services, or changes in law. When material changes are made, the Last updated date at the top of this policy will be revised. Substantial changes — such as adding a new category of data collection or a new third-party service — will also be announced via a notice on the site for at least 30 days following the change.

Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy:

Email: advisory@theinstallersview.com Subject line: Privacy Policy

The Installer's View, LLC is a California single-member limited liability company. Mailing address provided on request to verified parties; the LLC's registered agent address is on file with the California Secretary of State.