Before you read

This privacy policy is a general template for Panel Warmth. It is written to explain, in plain words, how a small independent publisher like this one typically handles personal information.

It is not legal advice, and it does not create a lawyer and client relationship. Privacy law changes over time, and the rules that apply to you depend on where you live. If you need advice about your specific situation, please speak with a qualified attorney.

If anything here is unclear, or you want to ask us to do something with your data, write to [email protected]. We are happy to explain things in the same calm, plain language we use for our heating guides.

Panel Warmth is an independent publisher of guides about infrared heating panels for US homes. We are not a manufacturer, a retailer or an installer, and we have no affiliation with any heater brand. This policy describes what information this site collects, why, and what you can do about it.

Because our readers live in different places, this template is written to work as a starting point under US state privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, and, for visitors from the European Union and European Economic Area, the GDPR.

Where a section applies only to one group of readers, we say so clearly.

Who we are

The data controller and how to reach us

Panel Warmth is responsible for the personal information collected through this website. In legal terms, we act as the data controller: the party that decides why and how your information is used.

You can reach us about anything in this policy at [email protected]. We aim to answer privacy questions within a reasonable time, and always within the deadline the law that applies to you sets.

What we collect

Which data we collect

We keep this list short, the way we keep our wattage math short. Depending on how you use the site, we may collect the following.

Information you give us directly: your email address if you write to us or sign up for a newsletter, and the contents of any message you send.

Information collected automatically: your IP address, browser type and version, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and the site you came from. This is standard analytics data that most websites gather.

Cookie data: small text files stored in your browser that help the site remember preferences and measure traffic. The cookies section below explains this in more detail.

We do not ask for, and do not want, sensitive information such as health data, financial account numbers or government ID numbers. Please do not send those to us.

Why we use it

Purposes: what we do with your data

We use the information above for a small number of clear purposes.

To run and improve the site: analytics help us see which guides readers find useful, for example whether the running cost tables get more visits than the installation guides, so we can improve the content.

To answer you: if you email us, we use your address to reply. That is all.

To send a newsletter, only if you asked for it: every email includes an unsubscribe link, and one click stops future mailings.

To keep the site secure: server logs help us spot and block abuse, such as automated attacks.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers in a way that identifies you.

The legal side

For visitors from the EU and EEA, the GDPR requires us to name a legal basis for each use of your data. Ours are the following.

Consent: for optional cookies beyond the strictly necessary ones, and for the newsletter. You can withdraw consent at any time, and withdrawing it does not affect anything that happened before.

Legitimate interest: for basic analytics, site security and answering messages. Our interest is running a useful, safe website, and we balance that against your privacy by collecting as little as practical.

Legal obligation: in the rare case that a law requires us to keep or hand over records, we will comply, and only to the extent required.

For US readers, state privacy laws such as the CCPA give you similar rights without requiring a named legal basis. The rights section below covers both.

How long we keep it

Retention periods

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected for. The exact periods depend on the type of data and on the services we use to run the site.

As a general rule: newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe, support emails are kept as long as needed to handle your question and any follow up, and analytics data is kept in aggregated or pseudonymized form wherever possible.

When data is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymize it. If you want to know the retention period for a specific kind of data, write to [email protected] and we will tell you what applies.

You are in charge

Your rights as a data subject

Depending on where you live, you have some or all of the following rights over your personal information.

Access: you can ask what information we hold about you and receive a copy.

Correction: you can ask us to fix information that is wrong or incomplete.

Deletion: you can ask us to delete your information, subject to any legal obligation to keep it.

Objection and restriction: you can object to certain uses of your data, or ask us to limit how we use it.

Portability: where the law provides for it, you can ask for your data in a commonly used, machine readable format.

Opt out of sale or sharing: we do not sell personal information, but where US state law gives you an opt out right, we honor it.

To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before acting, and we will never charge you for a reasonable request. If you are in the EU or EEA, you also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Small text files

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files your browser stores when you visit a site. They are how a website remembers that you have been there before, a bit like a room that stays warm for a while after the panel switches off.

Strictly necessary cookies keep the site working, for example by remembering your cookie preferences. These cannot be switched off.

Analytics cookies help us count visits and see which pages are read. Where the law requires consent for these, we ask before setting them, and saying no changes nothing about how the site works for you.

You can also delete or block cookies at any time through your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may make parts of the site work less smoothly.

A few more things

Sharing, security and children

Sharing: we use a small number of service providers to run the site, such as hosting and analytics. They process data only on our instructions. If we ever add a new kind of processor, we will update this policy before doing so.

Security: we use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. No website can promise perfect security, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Children: this site is written for adults making decisions about their homes. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes: if we update this policy, we will post the new version on this page with a revised date. Significant changes will be flagged clearly.

That is the whole policy. Like our heating guides, it is meant to be read once and understood, with no fine print surprises.

Questions, requests or corrections: [email protected]. We answer privacy email the same way we answer heating email, calmly and in plain words.