Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how WattHacker — a service operated by Tony Willcox, a sole proprietor located in California ("we", "us", or "our") — collects, uses, and shares information when you use our websites, applications, monitoring hardware, and related services (the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to this Policy.

1. Information We Collect

• Account information — your name, email, phone number (if provided), and password (stored only in hashed form).
• Sign in with Apple or Google — if you choose it, Apple or Google gives us your email address (Apple may give a private relay address instead), your name if you share it, and an account ID. We never see your Apple or Google password.
• Text message alerts — if you turn on text alerts, your mobile number, the code that confirmed it is yours, and the date and wording of the consent you gave (see Section 7).
• Phone notifications — if you turn on alerts in our iPhone or Android app, we store that phone's notification token, whether it is an iPhone or Android phone, and when it was registered, so your alerts reach it. Signing out of the app removes it.
• Home & location — your home address and coordinates, used to retrieve roof and weather data for your system.
• Energy & device data — readings from your solar system, such as per-panel and system production, status, and related telemetry.
• Weather data — local conditions for your location, used to interpret production.
• Payment information — processed by our payment provider (Stripe). We do not store full card numbers.
• Usage & technical data — basic device, browser, and interaction information used to operate and improve the Service.
• How you found us — the ad, search, or link that brought you to our site, and the page you landed on. We save it with your order or account so we know which ads work.
• Free calculators — when you use one of our free calculators, the answers you enter and the result we show, your IP address, the approximate location our hosting provider derives from it (city, state, and ZIP code), your browser type, and the page or link that sent you. We use this to see how the calculators are used and to improve them, and we erase the IP address after 12 months. No account is needed and we do not ask for your name.

2. How We Use Information

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service and its features;
• Monitor your system, generate insights, and send alerts and notifications you request;
• Process payments and manage subscriptions;
• Communicate with you about your account and the Service;
• Learn which of our ads lead to sales; and
• Maintain security and comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers who help us run the Service — for example, cloud hosting and database, payment processing, email delivery, mapping, and weather data — and only as needed to provide the Service. Alerts sent to a phone pass through Apple's or Google's notification service, which receives the alert text and the phone's notification token. Text messages pass through our SMS provider (Twilio), which receives your mobile number and the message text. If you sign in with Apple or Google, they know you used it to sign in to WattHacker. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect rights, safety, and the integrity of the Service.

One exception: if you clicked a ChatGPT ad and then buy, we tell ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI) which ad, what you bought, and the amount. Nothing else about you. We skip this if your browser sends Global Privacy Control.

4. Data Retention

We retain information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Historical data retention may vary by plan. You can request deletion of your account and associated data as described below; some information may be retained where required for legal, security, or accounting purposes.

5. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal information, and to opt out of certain processing. You can manage much of your information in your account settings, or contact us to exercise these rights. We will not discriminate against you for exercising them.

You can turn off phone notifications at any time in your phone's Settings or in the app. You can remove WattHacker's access to your Apple or Google account in that account's settings.

7. Text Message (SMS) Alerts

Text alerts are off unless you turn them on. You opt in from the Notifications page in the app: you enter your mobile number, check a box agreeing to receive texts, and type in the code we text you to confirm the number is yours.

• What we text — alerts about your solar system that you chose (for example, a panel that stopped producing or a monitor that went offline), and account security messages such as verification codes.
• How often — message frequency varies with your system and the alerts you choose.
• Cost — message and data rates may apply. We do not charge for texts.
• Stop anytime — reply STOP to any text, or turn texts off in the app. Reply HELP for help, or email support@watthacker.com.
• Your number stays with us — we do not sell, rent, or share your mobile number or your consent to receive texts with third parties or affiliates for their marketing. We never send marketing texts.
• Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

8. Cookies & Local Storage

We use cookies and similar local-storage technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and understand usage. One of our own cookies remembers how you found us (see Section 1) for up to 90 days. We do not use advertising pixels. You can control these through your browser settings; disabling them may affect how the Service works.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may link to third-party sites or services that we do not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact

Questions or requests about your privacy? Email support@watthacker.com.