1. Who we are
Great British Energy is an independent energy information service that helps UK homeowners find and claim energy grants, compare installer quotes, and reduce their energy bills. We operate the website greatbritishenergy.com.
We are not affiliated with Great British Energy plc (gbe.gov.uk) or HM Government. We are a private company providing free information and referral services.
For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Great British Energy is the data controller.
2. What data we collect
Analytics data
We use Google Analytics 4 (tracking ID: G-EVXTRGYSHG), Microsoft Clarity (project ID: vhdjqv05le), and our own first-party analytics beacon to understand how visitors use our site and to measure lead-generation performance. This may collect:
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Referral source (how you found us)
- Device type, browser, and operating system
- Approximate geographic location (city-level, derived from IP address)
- Interactions with site features (clicks, scrolls, form engagement)
- Conversion events such as form submissions, CTA clicks, and key on-site actions
Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity use cookies and similar technologies. Our first-party analytics beacon sends a lightweight visit record to our own `/api/hit` endpoint. These tools do not intentionally collect your name, email address, or other directly identifying information from ordinary pageviews. IP addresses may be processed by our service providers as part of analytics, security, and fraud-prevention systems.
Technical data
Our website is served through Cloudflare's content delivery network (CDN). Cloudflare automatically collects:
- IP address (for security and performance purposes)
- Browser type and version
- Device type and screen resolution
- HTTP request data (URLs accessed, timestamps)
Form submissions
When you use our eligibility checker or contact forms, we may collect:
- Your postcode (to determine local grant availability)
- Property type and tenure
- Benefit status (to check grant eligibility)
- Contact details you choose to provide (name, email, phone number)
3. Legal basis for processing
Under the UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following lawful bases:
- Consent — where required, for setting analytics and preference cookies on your device. You can withdraw consent at any time by clearing your browser cookies or contacting us.
- Legitimate interests — for first-party site measurement, analysing aggregate site usage to improve our content and services, and security monitoring. We have assessed that these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
- Contract performance — for processing your eligibility check submissions and connecting you with relevant installers, where you have requested this service.
4. How we use your data
We use the data we collect to:
- Check your eligibility for energy grants and schemes
- Connect you with vetted, local installers who can carry out grant-funded work
- Improve our website content, layout, and user experience
- Monitor site performance and diagnose technical issues
- Protect our website against abuse, fraud, and security threats
- Send you relevant updates about your enquiry (only where you have consented)
5. Analytics and service providers
We use the following analytics, infrastructure, and communication providers. Where a third party processes personal data for us, it acts as a data processor on our behalf.
Great British Energy first-party analytics
- Purpose: Traffic source attribution, page performance measurement, and aggregate lead-flow reporting
- Data processed: Page path, referrer, source type, timestamp, screen size, browser language, and related event metadata
- Storage: Cloudflare-hosted first-party analytics endpoint and database
Google LLC (Google Analytics)
- Purpose: Website analytics and usage measurement
- Data shared: Anonymised usage data, device information, cookie identifiers
- Location: Data may be transferred to the United States
- Safeguards: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) under UK GDPR
- Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft Clarity)
- Purpose: Website behaviour analytics, heatmaps, session replay, scroll tracking, and user experience diagnostics
- Data shared: Cookie identifiers, browser/device data, pageview data, and interaction data such as clicks, scrolls, and page navigation
- Location: Data may be processed in the United States and other locations where Microsoft operates
- Safeguards: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and Microsoft's applicable transfer mechanisms
- Privacy policy: privacy.microsoft.com/privacystatement
Cloudflare Inc
- Purpose: Content delivery, website security (DDoS protection, bot mitigation)
- Data shared: IP addresses, HTTP request metadata
- Location: Data may be processed in the United States and other locations
- Safeguards: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), Cloudflare's Data Processing Addendum
- Privacy policy: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy
Twilio Inc
- Purpose: SMS notifications related to your enquiry (where applicable)
- Data shared: Phone number, message content
- Location: Data may be transferred to the United States
- Safeguards: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
- Privacy policy: twilio.com/legal/privacy
We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We will never share your information for purposes unrelated to the services described on this page.
6. Cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following categories:
Essential cookies
These are necessary for the website to function securely. They cannot be disabled.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
__cf_bm | Cloudflare | Bot management — distinguishes humans from automated traffic | 30 minutes |
cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Security challenge clearance — confirms you passed a security check | 30 minutes |
Analytics cookies
These help us understand how visitors use our site, identify traffic sources, measure key interactions, and improve content quality.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique visitors by assigning a randomly generated ID | 2 years |
_ga_* | Google Analytics | Maintains session state for GA4 measurement | 2 years |
_clck | Microsoft Clarity | Persists a pseudonymous Clarity user ID and site preferences | Up to 1 year |
_clsk | Microsoft Clarity | Connects multiple page views into a single Clarity session recording | Up to 1 day |
CLID, ANONCHK, MR, MUID, SM | Microsoft Clarity | Supports Clarity analytics and Microsoft browser/session identification | Varies by cookie |
First-party analytics storage
Our own analytics script may use browser session storage to remember the first traffic source for your visit, for example whether you arrived from Google, Bing, an AI search tool, a social network, a referral site, or directly. It also sends a lightweight beacon to our first-party analytics endpoint for aggregate reporting.
Preference cookies
These remember your choices on our site.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
gbe_cookie_consent | Great British Energy | Remembers that you have acknowledged our cookie notice | Persistent (localStorage) |
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality. For more information, visit aboutcookies.org.
7. Data retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above:
- Analytics data: 14 months (Google Analytics 4 default retention period)
- Form submissions: Up to 2 years from the date of submission
- Security logs: 90 days (Cloudflare standard retention)
After these periods, data is automatically deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to you.
8. Your rights under UK GDPR
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing
- Right to restriction — request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances
- Right to data portability — request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format
- Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling
- Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month of receiving your request, as required by law.
9. Children's privacy
Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: greatbritishenergy.com
12. Supervisory authority
If you are not satisfied with our response to a data protection concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority:
- Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Live chat: ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/live-chat
This policy was last updated on 11 May 2026.