Privacy Policy
Last updated: January 2026
Ernest Air Cooling Ltd (Company No. 7735735) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who We Are
Ernest Air Cooling Ltd is a registered company providing air conditioning, ventilation, MVHR, and related HVAC services across Sussex and the South East. For data protection purposes, we are the data controller.
- Company: Ernest Air Cooling Ltd
- Address: 8 Nursery Close, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6GJ
- Email: tim@ernest-aircooling.co.uk
- Phone: 01273 455584
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
Information you provide directly:
- Name, email address, and phone number via contact forms
- Property address and details for site surveys and quotations
- Service history and equipment details for maintenance records
- Payment information for invoicing purposes
Information collected automatically:
- IP address and browser type
- Pages visited and time spent on our website
- Referring website or search terms used
- Device type and operating system
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- Service delivery: To respond to enquiries, provide quotations, schedule appointments, and deliver our services
- Communication: To contact you about your enquiry, booking, or ongoing service
- Legal obligations: To comply with legal requirements, including F-Gas regulations and health & safety records
- Business administration: To process payments and maintain financial records
- Website improvement: To analyse how visitors use our website and improve user experience
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Contract: Processing necessary to fulfil a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering a contract
- Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services and marketing
- Legal obligation: Processing necessary to comply with legal requirements
- Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose
5. Cookies & Analytics
Our website uses cookies and third-party analytics services to help us understand how visitors use our site.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect anonymised data about website usage. This includes pages visited, time on site, and general location data. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Essential cookies
Some cookies are essential for our website to function correctly. These do not collect personal data and cannot be disabled.
Managing cookies
You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect website functionality.
6. Data Sharing & Third Parties
We may share your data with:
- Service providers: Companies that help us deliver our services, such as equipment suppliers and subcontractors (under strict data protection agreements)
- Payment processors: To process card payments securely
- Email services: We use Resend to send transactional emails
- Analytics providers: Google Analytics for website analytics
- Legal authorities: If required by law or to protect our legal rights
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
7. Data Storage & Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or destruction.
- Contact form submissions are stored securely using Supabase (cloud database with encryption)
- Our website uses HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only
- We regularly review our security practices
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data for the following periods:
- Enquiries: 2 years from last contact if no service provided
- Customer records: 7 years after the last service for warranty and legal purposes
- Financial records: 7 years as required by HMRC
- F-Gas records: 5 years as required by regulation
- Website analytics: 26 months (Google Analytics default)
9. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
- Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
- Right to restrict processing: Request limitation of how we use your data
- Right to data portability: Request transfer of your data to another provider
- Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
- Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month.
10. Complaints
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page with the updated date shown at the top.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:
- Email: tim@ernest-aircooling.co.uk
- Phone: 01273 455584
- Address: 8 Nursery Close, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 6GJ