Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

OffGridCalc ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you visit our website at https://offgridsolarcalc.com/ and use our solar and energy calculator tool.

We believe in transparent, privacy-first technical architecture. Our calculator processes your energy calculations locally on your device rather than storing them on our servers. This policy outlines how local processing, external API queries, and standard website telemetry function.

2. How Data Flows on OffGridCalc

To provide full transparency, data on OffGridCalc falls into three distinct categories:

2.1 Calculator Inputs (Processed Locally on Your Device)

When you use the OffGridCalc solar calculator, all your sizing parameters — including home dimensions, daily electrical loads, selected appliances, battery autonomy days, and system efficiency settings — are processed entirely inside your browser using client-side JavaScript.

• This data is never transmitted to, stored on, or harvested by our servers.
• If you save or export your calculation, the data resides exclusively in your browser's local storage until you clear your cache.

2.2 Third-Party Location & Solar-Resource API Queries

To provide location-specific solar irradiance and peak sun hours, the calculator queries established public scientific data services:

• Nominatim (OpenStreetMap): When you enter a city or address, a geocoding request is sent to convert the location name into geographic coordinates.
• PVGIS (EU Science Hub): Geographic coordinates are used to fetch historical solar irradiance, optimal tilt angle, and temperature datasets.

These requests contain only the location parameters necessary to return solar-resource data. They do not include your appliance list, energy usage figures, or system configurations.

2.3 Website Telemetry, Analytics & Cookies (Collected Automatically)

Like virtually all modern web properties, our web server and analytics providers automatically log standard technical telemetry when you browse our pages:

• Log Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and date/time of access.
• Device Information: Device type, screen resolution, and browser language settings.
• Usage Analytics: Aggregate statistics on page views, navigation paths, and time spent to optimize site speed and layout (via Google Analytics).
• Cookies & Consent: Standard cookies are used to remember user preferences and, subject to your consent, display relevant advertising. See Section 7 for details.

3. How We Use Information

We use automatically collected technical and analytics information solely for the following legitimate purposes:

• To maintain server health, security, and prevent fraudulent traffic.
• To analyze aggregate traffic trends and improve website usability.
• To fetch public solar-resource datasets required for preliminary sizing estimates.
• To respond to direct user inquiries submitted via our contact forms.
• To comply with applicable legal obligations.

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Client-Side Isolation: Calculator inputs remain isolated within your local browser environment. We maintain no user database, no account login system, and no calculation telemetry database.

4.2 Transport Security: All web traffic is encrypted in transit using industry-standard SSL/TLS (HTTPS) to prevent interception.

4.3 Contact Submissions: If you voluntarily reach out via our contact page, your name, email address, and message are retained only as long as necessary to answer your inquiry.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Information is only shared in the following limited technical circumstances:

• API Service Providers: Location coordinates are queried against Nominatim and PVGIS solely to return solar radiation metrics.
• Infrastructure & Analytics: Trusted services (such as Google Analytics and hosting infrastructure) that process standard web traffic metrics under standard data protection terms.
• Legal Compliance: When required by law, subpoena, or governmental regulatory authority.

6. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

7.1 How We Use Cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality and calculator features
• Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics cookies to understand user behavior and website performance
• Advertising Cookies: Google AdSense cookies to deliver personalized advertisements

7.2 Cookie Management: Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect website functionality.

8. GDPR and International Privacy

For European Union Residents: If you are located in the EU, you have the following rights under GDPR:

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing

To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@offgridsolarcalc.com.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the revised Privacy Policy on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Email: contact@offgridsolarcalc.com
Website: https://offgridsolarcalc.com/
Mailing Address: Please use the contact form on our website