Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Kootenay Energy (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a free educational and contractor-matching service for BC home retrofit rebates, based in Nelson, British Columbia. We help homeowners understand their options across heat pumps, insulation, FireSmart, and radon mitigation, then route them to vetted local contractors. The contractor you ultimately hire handles the rebate paperwork — we don’t.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act(PIPA, SBC 2003, c. 63).

2. Personal Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to estimate your rebate eligibility and route you to a contractor whose specialty and service area match your project. This includes:

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Estimate your eligibility for CleanBC, HomeSave, FortisBC, BC Hydro, and other provincial and municipal rebate programs.
• Forward your contact details and project notes to one or more vetted contractor partners whose service area and specialty match your project.
• Communicate with you by email or phone about your project, the rebate landscape, and follow-up questions.
• Improve our calculator and educational content based on aggregate, de-identified usage data.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following limited circumstances:

• Vetted contractor partners: We share your name, contact information, address or service area, and project notes with one or more contractors whose specialty and region match your project. They use this information to reach out and quote your work. We do not submit your information to any government rebate portal — that is handled by the contractor you ultimately hire.
• Service providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate our business (e.g., database hosting, email delivery). These providers process data only on our instructions and are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, or court order.

5. Data Storage & Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and employ reasonable technical and organizational safeguards:

• Your data is stored in an encrypted database hosted in Canada.
• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS/SSL.
• Access to your personal information is restricted to team members who need it to provide our services.
• We do not request or store sensitive financial documents like CRA Notices of Assessment — those stay between you and your contractor.
• We conduct regular reviews of our security practices.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Calculator inputs & lead records: Your contact information and the project details you share with us are retained for up to 24 months from your last interaction with us, to support follow-up communication and contractor referrals.
• Referral tracking: A minimal record of which contractor partner received your lead — contractor name, project type, and date — is retained for up to 7 years for accounting and referral-fee reconciliation purposes.
• Calculator-only inquiries: If you use the calculator without sharing contact details, we retain only anonymized inputs to improve the engine.
• Post-retention: After the retention period, all personal information is securely deleted or de-identified.

7. Your Rights Under PIPA

Under British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time. If a contractor has already received your details, withdrawing consent stops further sharing on our end — though future communication between you and that contractor is then up to the two of you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@kootenayenergy.ca. We will respond within 30 business days as required by PIPA.

8. Cookies & Analytics

Our website may use essential cookies required for site functionality (e.g., session management). We may also use privacy-respecting analytics to understand how visitors use our site. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or sell browsing data.

9. BC PIPA Compliance

Kootenay Energy is committed to compliance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). We collect personal information only with your informed consent, use it only for the purposes described in this policy, and protect it with reasonable security safeguards.

If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a notice on our website. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us: