Who we are
SolarGuide (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the website https://solarguide.co.za. We are an independent referral partner of Alumo, a solar installer operating in South Africa. We are not owned by or a division of Alumo. Our role is to help you compare solar options and to introduce you to Alumo for a free, no-obligation quote. For any privacy question, contact our information officer at hello@solarguide.co.za.
What personal information we collect
When you use our contact or quote form, we collect the information you choose to give us, which may include:
- Your name;
- Your email address and, if you provide it, your phone number;
- Your location, suburb or address, so a quote can be sized for your area;
- Information about your property and energy needs (for example your average monthly electricity bill, whether it’s a home or business, and what you want to power during load-shedding);
- Any message or details you add to the form.
We also collect limited technical information automatically, such as your IP address, device and browser type, and how you use our site. Where this involves cookies, see our Cookie Policy.
Why we collect it, and our lawful basis
We process your personal information to:
- Arrange your solar quote. The main reason we collect your details is to pass them to Alumo so they can contact you and prepare a quote — this is done with your consent when you submit the form.
- Respond to your enquiries and provide the information you ask for;
- Improve our website and understand which guides are useful (analytics);
- Meet our legal and record-keeping obligations.
Our lawful bases under POPIA are your consent (which you give by submitting the form) and our legitimate interest in operating a referral service and improving our site. You can withdraw consent at any time (see “Your rights” below).
How we share your information
We share the details you submit with Alumo. This is the core purpose of our service: when you request a quote, we transfer your name, contact details and the property/energy information you provided to Alumo so their team can contact you directly and prepare your quote. By submitting the form, you consent to this sharing. Once your details are with Alumo, Alumo’s own privacy terms also apply to how they handle your information.
We also use a small number of trusted service providers who process data on our behalf, under contract:
- Cloudflare — website hosting and security;
- Resend — delivering the form submission to us by email;
- Google Analytics — anonymous, aggregated site usage statistics (only if you accept analytics cookies).
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers. Some of these providers operate servers outside South Africa; where information is transferred abroad, it is protected by the provider’s contractual and security safeguards as required by POPIA.
How long we keep it
We keep enquiry details only as long as needed to arrange your quote and for reasonable record-keeping afterwards, after which we delete or anonymise them. You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see below).
How we protect it
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures — including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and access controls — to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to guard against loss, misuse and unauthorised access.
Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Ask what personal information we hold about you, and request a copy;
- Ask us to correct or update information that is wrong or out of date;
- Ask us to delete your information, or to stop processing it;
- Object to processing and withdraw your consent at any time;
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe your rights have been infringed.
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@solarguide.co.za. You can contact the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.
Children
Our service is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed. Material changes will be reflected here before they take effect.
Contact us
Questions about your privacy or this policy? Email hello@solarguide.co.za.