Homeze Privacy Statement
Last Updated: 04/10/2020
Introduction and overview
Homeze helps owners optimize their homes for better health, safety, and energy use. We believe that everyone has a right to privacy. We also believe in providing transparency on how we collect, process and share personal information.Scope of this Privacy Statement
This Privacy Statement (“Privacy Statement”) describes our privacy practices for individuals in the United States when we process:- Personal information for the purposes of providing home improvement and efficiency products and services.
- Personal information for the purposes of providing the benefits of other affiliated services which is collectively, all Homeze’s services, sites, and experiences (the “Homeze Services”); and/or
- PPersonal information as necessary to manage, run, and improve our business.
Our role
This Privacy Statement does not apply where Homeze processes personal information as a service provider on behalf of a customer or entity who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal information (“Information Controller”). When we act as a service provider, the privacy statement of the relevant Information Controller and our agreements with such business or entity will govern our processing of personal information. In certain circumstances, there may be more than one Information Controller processing your information. For example, your service provider or a financial partner may also act as an Information Controller of personal information processed by Homeze. In these situations, we act as an independent Information Controller over our processing activities – meaning that we, as an Information Controller, make determinations over how your personal information will be processed independently from the other Information Controller. The other Information Controller may have their own obligations under applicable information privacy law, and you may need to speak with the other Information Controller directly for questions on how they process your personal information.The Homeze Services and your Homeze Account
Homeze Account information
In order to access the benefits, we make available as part of the Homeze Services, data entered into one service or feature becomes a part of your Homeze Account. The personal information contained within your Homeze Account is the combination of information that Homeze has about you. Your Homeze Account may include your name and contact details; payment information; information about your activities, your interests and preferences; information we have collected about you from third-party sources and insights that are associated with you. The information in your Homeze Account will be used to generate our various offerings, services and experiences and otherwise maximize the benefits to you.Information we collect
Information you give us
The personal information that we receive about you depends on the context of your interactions with Homeze and the choices that you make, including your privacy preferences. Personal information that you provide may also depend upon what services or experiences you use, your location, and applicable law.- Creating an account. We collect information when you provide your information to receive information, an energy assessment, or purchase products or services. Personal information may include your contact information (such as your name, address, phone number and email) and billing information (your payment information).
- Customer support, product research, training and feedback. We may collect personal information when you reach out to us for support, give us feedback, participate in optional surveys, product research or training and you choose to share (“Communication Information”).
- Social and community content. We receive content you post on our social media pages and our community pages.
- Information about others: Please see the section titled, “Information provided by others”, below.
Information we get when you use the products and services.
We may collect certain information about you when you access or use the Homeze Website or use our Services. This may include:- Device information. We may collect information about your device such as Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses, log information, error messages, device type, and unique device identifiers. For example, we may collect IP addresses from you as part of our analysis and security features.
- Content. We may receive information about your home residence, including square footage, rooms, layout, year built, style, materials, manufacturers, homeowner association rules, ownership, liens, and other information applicable to evaluation and installation of products.
- Third-party service content. We receive information about you when you sign into a third-party service. For example, you may choose to sign-in using a third-party authentication service.
- Usage information. We may collect usage information such as the pages you viewed, the features you use, your browser type and details about any links with which you interact.
- Location information. Certain features in our platform may collect your precise location information, device motion information, or both, if you grant permission to do so in your device settings.
- Expert advice. Our Services provide many opportunities for you to connect with experts, including, for example, contractors and installation technicians. When you interact with these experts, we may receive information about the questions you ask, the details of your circumstance and the guidance provided to you.
- Information from cookies and other technologies. Homeze and our service providers may use commonly used tools such as cookies, web beacons, pixels, local shared objects and similar technologies (collectively “cookies”) to collect information about you (“Cookie Information”) so we can provide the experiences you request, recognize your visit, track your interactions, and improve your and other customers’ experience. The Homeze Platform is not currently configured to respond to browsers’ “Do Not Track” signals because at this time no formal “Do Not Track” standard has been adopted. You have control over some of the information we collect from Cookies and how we use it. For more information, please see our Cookies Policy
Information provided by others
At Homeze, we believe that you have rights to information that pertains to you and your household. If another person has input or processed information in the Homeze platform or otherwise provided information on behalf of you or your family (and we are processing such information as an Information Controller),you may ask to receive a copy of your information, even if you do not have an account with us. To help protect privacy and the security of your information, you may be asked to provide additional information to verify your identity and/or ownership rights prior to receiving a copy of the information. For specific instructions on how to request a copy of your information, please see the section “Your information rights and choices” below. We also obtain information from outside parties or services to run our business. We protect and process information obtained from those parties as described in this Statement, consistent with any additional restrictions imposed by the source of the information. Our sources may vary over time and depend upon how you use the Homeze Services. For a list of the categories of sources from whom we obtain information, please see the section “Other information sources” below). Other information sources We may also get information about you from others, where permitted by applicable law. For example, we receive information from:- Supplemental information and identity verification providers. Service providers who help us verify your identity and/or supplement the information you have provided and ensure the accuracy of your information. For example, we use third party service providers to validate your mailing address, phone number or provide additional details about you. These providers may include, for example, your financial institution, telecommunications provider, or email provider.
- Support providers. Service providers who provide us with information about you or your interaction with us. For example, we may obtain service and support information or technical issues you have raised with these third parties.
- Other users. As described in sections “Information Provided By Others”, we may get information about you from other users, such as your spouse or your head of household.
- Risk management, cybersecurity & anti-fraud providers. We may receive information from service providers who help us assess risks associated with our offerings, including to help combat fraud, illegal activity and to help protect your personal information.
- Content providers. We may receive information from software providers that make user-generated content from their service available to others, such as local business reviews or public social media posts.
- Communication providers & social networks. If you give us permission, we may collect information from email providers, communication providers and social networks.
- Joint offering partners. We may offer co-branded services or experiences or engage in joint-marketing activities with others, including through our conferences or live events.
- Publicly-available Sources. We collect information from publicly available sources, such as open government databases.
Required information
Some services and experiences part of the Homeze Services and the Homeze Platform require you to provide information for it to function. If you do not wish to provide the required information, you may not be able to use certain features.How we use personal information
We collect and process personal information from you only where:- We have your consent to do so
- We need the personal information to perform a contract with you or provide a service to you
- Provide you with the benefits of the Homeze Services and Homeze Platform and operate our business
- The processing is in our legitimate business interests
- To comply with legal requirements, including applicable laws and regulations
- Provide you with the Homeze Services and Homeze Platform and create your Homeze Account
- Improve our products and services
- Run and manage our business, including resolving billing and financial disputes
- Evaluate your eligibility for other offers, products and services
- Connect you with experts and other users
- Communicate with you
- Advertise and market our services and experiences
- Personalize your experience, including through the development of insights about you and your needs
- Provide you with support and resolve disputes
- Conduct research, including by partnering with academic institutions
- Comply with our legal and regulatory requirements
- Protect the rights, property, safety or security of Homeze, our customers, employees, or others and prevent fraudulent or illegal activity
- To enforce, remedy or apply our Terms of Service or other agreements
How we share your information
From time to time, we may need to share your information in the following circumstances: With your consent. We share your information with third parties when you have requested us to do so. For research. With appropriate controls, we may share information with third parties for research purposes or policy-related materials. We only share information in a way that would not allow any individual to be identified. For joint sales, promotions and events. We may share your information with third parties who are jointly providing sales initiatives, promotions, or events with us. With financial services providers. We may share personal Information with collection agencies, credit bureaus and loan service providers, and payment card association members. Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected in your credit report and consumer report. We may also share your personal information with other companies, lawyers, credit bureaus, agents, government agencies, and card associations in connection with issues related to fraud, credit, or debt collection. With service providers. We share personal information with our service providers who provide services on our behalf for the purposes described in this Statement. Service providers are required to implement reasonable privacy and information protection controls to maintain the privacy and security of information provided to them consistent with the privacy practices outlined in this Statement. For mergers and acquisitions. If we are involved with a merger, asset sale, financing, liquidation, bankruptcy, or the acquisition of all or part of our business to another company (collectively, a “Transaction”), we may share your information with that company and its advisors before and after the Transaction date. Sales of personal information to third parties. We do not and will not sell personal information to third parties. We do share personal information with third parties for the business purposes described in this Statement. With our affiliates and subsidiaries. We may share your information with and among our affiliates and subsidiaries for everyday business purposes (as described in this Statement) as well as for marketing purposes. Your Right to Limit information Sharing: certain laws, including Federal Law for our US customers, provides our customers with the right to limit our information sharing activities in certain circumstances. For example, you may have the right to limit our sharing of information to both affiliates and third parties for marketing purposes.Non-Homeze Services, links, and integrations
Some of our features enable you to connect to a social media account or share information on social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter. Any information you choose to share on social media may potentially be visible to a global audience and will be subject to the social media provider’s privacy policies (not this Statement). You should take care only to share information on social media that you are comfortable sharing.Advertising and analytics
Homeze may use advertising networks and other providers to display advertising on our Homeze Platform or to manage our advertising on other sites. Our advertising partners may place cookies on unaffiliated websites in order to serve advertisements that may be relevant to you based on your browsing activities and interests and determine the effectiveness of such advertisements. You may be able to opt-out of such interest-based advertising by visiting Digital Advertising Alliance’s Network Advertising Initiative’s, or < a href=”https://www.youronlinechoices.com/” target=”_blank”>Your Online Choices.For legal reasons
We may share your information with third parties for legal reasons, including:- When we reasonably believe disclosure is required in order to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other applicable law, regulation or legal process
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of Homeze, the Homeze Platform, our customers or others
- To protect or defend against attacks
- To enforce, remedy, or apply our Terms of Service or other agreements
- To prevent fraud, cybersecurity attacks or illegal activity
- For debt collection