1. Introduction and Scope
Primecrustca ("Primecrustca", "we", "us" or "our") operates the website at primecrustca.com, an independent Canadian solar energy comparison and education platform headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. We publish unbiased side-by-side reviews of certified solar installers, financing plans and government rebate programs, and we provide a free savings estimator that turns a homeowner's roof size, postal code and current hydro bill into province-specific payback estimates. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and protect personal information when you visit primecrustca.com, use our savings estimator, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us through our forms.
We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and, where applicable, substantially similar provincial laws such as British Columbia's and Alberta's Personal Information Protection Acts (PIPA) and Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (the "Quebec Privacy Act", as amended by Law 25). Where we send commercial electronic messages, we also comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
2. Personal Information We Collect
Because Primecrustca is an information and comparison publisher rather than a solar installer, we deliberately collect a limited amount of personal information. The categories below describe specifically what we collect and where it comes from:
- Contact details — your name, email address and the content of any message you send us through the contact form on primecrustca.com. We collect this when you choose to reach out with a question or feedback.
- Newsletter information — your email address, collected when you subscribe to receive updates on new rebate announcements and provider promotions.
- Savings estimator inputs — your province, approximate roof size, current monthly hydro bill and preferred panel type. These figures are used to calculate an estimate in your browser. We only retain them as personal information if you submit them together with your contact details to request follow-up.
- Technical and usage information — your IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, referring page, and the pages you view on our site. This is collected automatically through server logs and cookies.
- Cookie information — small files stored in your browser, including the cookie_consent preference that records your choice in our consent banner. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
We do not knowingly collect sensitive categories of personal information such as health data, financial account numbers or government identifiers, and we ask that you do not include such details in form messages.
3. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information
Under PIPEDA, we identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection. Primecrustca uses personal information to:
- respond to enquiries and feedback submitted through our contact form;
- deliver our newsletter and curated updates about Canadian rebate programs and provider promotions, where you have consented to receive them;
- generate and improve the accuracy of our province-specific savings estimates;
- operate, maintain, secure and improve primecrustca.com and its content;
- analyse aggregate traffic patterns so we can publish more useful guides and comparisons;
- detect, prevent and respond to fraud, abuse, spam and security incidents; and
- comply with our legal obligations under applicable Canadian federal and provincial law.
We rely on your consent for the collection and use of personal information. For most interactions, consent is express — for example, you actively submit a form or tick a consent checkbox before subscribing. In limited cases, consent may be implied, such as the operation of strictly necessary cookies required to make the site function.
4. Consent and Withdrawing Consent
You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal and contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. To stop receiving our newsletter, use the unsubscribe link in any message or email us at info@primecrustca.com. To ask us to stop using your contact information, write to the same address. Withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer respond to a request or provide a particular service, and we will explain the likely consequences when you ask.
5. Affiliate Relationships and Third-Party Solar Providers
Primecrustca operates as an independent affiliate publisher. When you click a link to request a quote from a certified installer or financial partner featured on our site, you may be directed to that third party's own website. At that point, the third party collects and processes your information under its own privacy policy, which we do not control. We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any installer, lender or rebate program before submitting information to them. We may receive compensation when you engage with a featured partner, but this compensation does not influence our editorial ratings or safety warnings.
6. Disclosure of Personal Information
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We may disclose personal information only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers — to our website hosting provider and email infrastructure provider, who process information on our behalf under contractual confidentiality and security obligations, and only to the extent necessary to deliver their services;
- Legal requirements — to government bodies, regulators, law enforcement or courts where we are required or permitted to do so by Canadian law, or to protect our legal rights;
- Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, in which case personal information would remain subject to protections consistent with this Policy.
Some of our service providers may store or process data on servers located outside your province or outside Canada. Where that occurs, your personal information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is held, and may be accessible to courts, governments or regulators in that jurisdiction. We take reasonable steps to ensure comparable protection through contractual safeguards.
7. Retention and Security
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law. Contact form submissions are typically retained for up to twenty-four (24) months; newsletter subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe; and server log data is retained for a limited period for security and analytics. When personal information is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it.
We protect personal information using reasonable physical, organisational and technological safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity. These include encryption in transit (SSL/TLS), restricted access on a need-to-know basis, secured form-handling that stores submissions outside the publicly accessible web root, and routine review of our security practices. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Your Privacy Rights
Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:
- be informed about whether we hold personal information about you and how it is used and disclosed;
- access the personal information we hold about you and request a copy;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
- withdraw consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal limits;
- request deletion of your personal information where we are not required to retain it;
- unsubscribe from commercial electronic messages at any time; and
- make a complaint about our handling of your personal information.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@primecrustca.com. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally within thirty (30) days under PIPEDA) and may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or the privacy regulator in your province.
9. Cookies
We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working and to understand how it is used. You can manage cookies through our on-site consent banner and through your browser settings. For a complete description of the cookies we use, their purpose and how to control them, please see our Cookie Policy.
10. Children's Privacy
Primecrustca is intended for Canadian homeowners and adults making decisions about residential solar installations. Our site is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of majority in their province of residence. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of primecrustca.com after changes take effect indicates your acceptance of the revised Policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns or requests about this Privacy Policy or about how Primecrustca handles your personal information, please contact our privacy contact at:
Primecrustca
Email: info@primecrustca.com
Website: primecrustca.com