Privacy Policy
What personal information River collects, why we hold it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it.
River Energy & Renewables takes the information you give us seriously. Most of it is commercially sensitive — your energy bills, your consumption, your sites — and we treat it that way. This policy explains, in plain terms, what we hold and what you can do about it.
1. Who we are
River Energy & Renewables Ltd, registered in England & Wales, company number 13898365 ("River", "we", "us"), is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. We are part of the River Business Services Group.
Registered office:
Unit 38 Redcliff Road, Melton Business Park,
North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, HU14 3RS
Telephone: 0333 331 1777
Email: hello@riveruk.co.uk
2. What this policy covers
This policy applies when you:
- visit riveruk.co.uk or use any tool on it.
- send us an enquiry, request an energy audit or start a live chat conversation;
- ask us to review your energy contracts, bills or consumption;
- become a client, or work for an organisation that is one;
- supply goods or services to us, or apply to work with us.
3. Information we collect
We only ask for what we need to do the job in front of us.
| Category | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, job title, organisation, email address, telephone number, site addresses. |
| Enquiry content | Whatever you tell us in a form, an email, a live chat or on a call. |
| Energy data | Copies of bills and invoices, meter point numbers (MPAN/MPRN), half-hourly and annual consumption data, current supplier, contract terms and end dates, tariff rates. |
| Site information | Survey notes, measurements, photographs, roof and structural details, existing electrical infrastructure, half-hourly load profiles. |
| Contract and account data | Signed agreements, letters of authority, purchase orders, invoices and payment records. |
Energy data usually relates to an organisation rather than an individual. Where it can be linked to a named person — a sole trader, a landlord, a home-based business — it is personal data and this policy applies to it.
We do not knowingly collect special category data (health, ethnicity, religion and similar) and we do not ask for it. We do not collect information from children.
4. How we use it, and why we're allowed to
Under UK GDPR we have to have a lawful basis for everything we do with your information. Ours are:
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Reply to your enquiry and prepare a quotation or survey | Legitimate interests, and steps taken at your request before entering a contract |
| Tender your requirement to suppliers, place and administer contracts | Performance of a contract |
| Design, install, commission and support renewable systems | Performance of a contract |
| Validate bills, track renewal dates and manage your account | Performance of a contract, and our legitimate interest in managing the client relationship |
| Keep accounting, tax and health & safety records | Legal obligation |
| Send marketing about services you have not bought | Consent, or the soft opt-in for existing clients — you can withdraw at any time |
| Investigate and resolve complaints | Legitimate interests, and our obligations as an accredited broker |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered whether our interest is outweighed by your rights..
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you. Our modelling and calculator outputs are always reviewed by a person before they reach you.
5. Who we share it with
We share information only where it is needed to deliver what you have asked for:
- Energy suppliers and aggregators — to obtain quotations and place contracts on your behalf, under a letter of authority you sign;
- Distribution Network Operators — where a grid connection application is required for solar, storage or charging infrastructure;
- Installation and commissioning partners — where specialist subcontractors carry out part of a project;
- Professional advisers — accountants, insurers and legal advisers, where necessary;
- Regulators, an ombudsman or law enforcement — where we are legally required to, or to handle a complaint.
Everyone we share information with is required to keep it secure and use it only for the purpose we gave it to them for.
6. Where it is stored
We do not store your personal data and we will only use your data internally if you allow us to do so.
7. How long we keep it
| Information | Retained for |
|---|---|
| Client contracts, invoices and accounting records | Six years after the end of the relationship, to meet HMRC requirements |
| Installation, commissioning and warranty records | Covers the longest warranty period offered |
| Enquiries that do not become projects | A period of 3 months. |
| Marketing contacts | Until you unsubscribe or ask us to stop |
| Complaint records | View our complaints code page. |
8. How we protect it
We restrict access to personal information to the people who need it to do their job, use access controls and encryption in transit, and keep our systems patched.
9. Your rights
You have the right to:
- be informed about how we use your information — this policy;
- access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- rectify anything inaccurate or incomplete;
- erase it, where we no longer have a reason to hold it;
- restrict how we use it while a query is resolved;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time;
- portability — receive data you gave us in a machine-readable format;
- withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis we rely on.
Email hello@riveruk.co.uk to exercise any of these. We will respond within one month. There is no charge unless a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. We may ask you to confirm your identity first.
10. Cookies and website data
This website sets no cookies. What it does use — and the third parties your browser contacts when you load a page — is set out in our Cookie Policy.
11. If something goes wrong
If a personal data breach occurs and it is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will report it to the Information Commissioner's Office within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. Where the risk is high, we will tell you directly and without undue delay.
12. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when our services, systems or legal obligations change. The review date at the foot of this page tells you when it was last checked.
13. Contact and complaints
Talk to us first. Email hello@riveruk.co.uk or call 0333 331 1777. If your concern is about our service rather than your data, our Complaints Procedure sets out how we handle it.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at any time: ico.org.uk, or 0303 123 1113. We would rather you gave us the chance to put it right first.
Questions about your data?
Ask us anything about what we hold and why — we'll give you a straight answer.