Privacy Policy
Effective date: August 12, 2026.
Embercrest is an independent publisher about water heaters. We earn referral fees when calls from this site connect readers with licensed installation partners. That model shapes what little data we handle, and this policy describes all of it in plain language.
What browsing this site collects
The web host records ordinary access logs: requesting IP, user-agent string, which page was fetched, and when. The site sets no cookies, and today it loads no third-party analytics, advertising, or social-media trackers. One small script runs on each page: it asks our hosting provider for the approximate city and state already derived from your IP address, so the call prompts can name your area. That result stays in your browser's session storage (not a cookie), is gone when the tab closes, and is not reported back to us. You will find no login, no newsletter signup, and no lead forms here; nowhere are you asked to type a name, an email address, or a street address.
We plan to add Google Analytics 4 to measure aggregate traffic (pages viewed, device type, rough geography). When it is active, Google sets its own measurement cookies and processes the data under Google's privacy policy; we see aggregate reports, not named visitors, and this section and the effective date will be updated at that time.
What a phone call adds
Dialing the number published here sends three things to us and our call-routing provider: your phone number, the time and duration of the call, and where it was routed. The call itself is typically answered by an independent installation partner. Calls may be monitored or recorded for referral verification and quality purposes where the law allows. Whatever you discuss with the installer (names, addresses, project details) is collected by that installer under their own privacy practices, not ours.
Why we have this data
Four reasons: to operate and secure the website; to route calls to a partner covering your area; to verify and settle referral compensation with partners; and to meet legal, tax, and audit obligations. We also look at aggregate, non-identifying patterns (which topics get read, which pages precede calls) to decide what to write next.
Who receives it
Our hosting provider, our call-routing provider, and the installation partner who answers your call. Beyond that: professional advisors where necessary, and authorities when the law genuinely requires it. We do not sell server-log or browsing data to data brokers, and we have no advertising partners to feed.
The referral connection, under California's definitions
Honesty requires a technical note. Because a partner compensates us when your call is routed to them, that routing may count as a "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (your phone number) under the CCPA's broad definitions. You can opt out of any future sale or sharing of your information by contacting us as described below. Browsing the site involves no sale or sharing at all.
Retention
Server logs rotate automatically on a rolling basis. Call and referral records stay only as long as it takes to settle compensation, resolve disputes, and satisfy tax and audit requirements, then get deleted.
Your California rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
- Know and access what personal information we hold about you;
- Delete that information, with the exceptions the statute allows;
- Correct records that turn out to be wrong;
- Opt out of any sale or sharing of your personal information;
- Limit how sensitive personal information is used, which is easy for us to honor, since we collect no CPRA-defined sensitive categories at all;
- Non-discrimination: exercising a right never changes what this site shows you or costs you.
To exercise a right, call (800) 555-0184 and say the words "privacy request," or email hello@embercresthome.com. Both channels are described on the contact page. Verification runs against the phone number in our call records or the email address you write from, and responses go out within the statute's deadlines. Authorized agents are welcome once they show proof of authorization; the California Attorney General publishes the statute's full text.
Outside California
Comprehensive privacy statutes now exist in a long and growing list of other states. The request channels above are open to everyone: reach out by phone or email, name your state, and we will honor whatever rights apply there.
Browser privacy signals
Because this site sets no cookies of its own and runs no cross-site trackers, Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals have nothing to switch off on the browsing side. Where a GPC signal can be linked to an identifiable request, we treat it as a valid opt-out of sale or sharing.
No one under 16
Embercrest is written for adults making appliance decisions and is not directed to anyone under 16. We do not knowingly gather a child's personal information; if you believe a phone call put a child's details into our records, tell us and they will be deleted.
When this policy changes
If the policy changes, the effective date at the top changes with it, and material changes will be described here in plain language rather than buried in a diff.
Privacy contact
Phone: (800) 555-0184, and say it is a privacy request. Email: hello@embercresthome.com. Related pages: terms of use, accessibility statement, and contact.