We are an ‘energy conservation authority’ under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995. As such, we are in a position to take measures to improve the energy efficiency of our residential accommodation in our Borough.
In participation with four other Kent based local authorities, we are partnering with IChoosr Ltd to help our residents save money on their energy bills, by using combined buying power to access highly competitive gas and/or electricity tariffs. Participation is completely free with no obligation to switch.
Collective purchasing and switching has the potential to empower our residents to get a better deal on their gas and electricity bills and save them having to shop around and compare tariffs themselves. Other benefits could include a commitment to choose green energy, or a deal on energy saving products. You may still want to shop around (for example using a switching site) in order to check that the deal being offered is the best one for you.
Dover District Council is the project lead.
Processing activity – the information required will depend upon the collective scheme. Initially you will be asked to register your interest in joining a scheme, which will be facilitated on our behalf, by SSE Energy Solutions Limited (SSE). Processing activities by SSE may include:
- marketing of the scheme(s) to find potential members of the group
- gathering information about individuals’ energy consumption and requirements
- negotiating with energy suppliers and securing a deal for their group
- informing the group about the offer
- if the deal is accepted, manage the switch of the group to a new supplier
Information requirements- processing activities may include:
- your name, telephone number, email address
- site address
- energy data from your home e.g. your current tariff, energy supplier, energy consumption p.a., how you pay your bill (direct debit, cash or cheque, pre-payment) and if you are on a fixed term contract, whether this is subject to a termination fee
- your preferences, for example, if you would be happy to change the way you manage your account in order to save money, or whether you would prefer your energy to come from renewable resources
- special category data such as health related information
- outcomes of energy/benefit/eligibility checks
- energy performance certificates
- surveys
Lawful basis[1] – our lawful bases for processing your personal information are:
* that the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e)) and DPA 2018 section 8(c) in service to sections 2 and 4 of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (the 1995 Act);
* the processing by us of special category personal data, namely health data (UK GDPR Article 9(1));
* the processing of special category personal data is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest (UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) and DPA 2018, section 10(3) & Schedule 1, part 2, para.6(2)(a), justified by the 1995 Act.
We have a Data Protection Policy that sets out how this information will be handled.
Data Processor - SSE Energy Solutions Limited processes personal information on our behalf in accordance with our written instructions.
Data sharing – we may share with and receive personal information from our partner organisations, our energy data specialist (or qualified supplier) in accordance with an information sharing agreement made pursuant to the Code of Practice for public authorities disclosing information under Chapters 1, 3 and 4 (Public Service Delivery, Debt and Fraud) of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017.
We may rely on a number of exemptions, which allow us to share information without needing to comply with all the rights and obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018. Please refer to the Kent and Medway Information Agreement for further details on our sharing arrangements.
Retention period - we keep your personal information for the minimum period necessary. The information outlined in this Privacy Notice will be kept for 6 years after the last action. All information will be held securely and disposed of confidentially.
Anonymisation- your personal information may be converted ('anonymised') into statistical or aggregated data in such a way that ensures that you cannot be identified from it. Aggregated data cannot, by definition, be linked back to you as an individual and may be used to conduct research and analysis, including the preparation of statistics for use in our reports. Anonymised data may be shared with relevant government departments pursuant to section 217 of the Housing Act 2004.
Right to object – where processing your personal information is required for the performance of a public interest task (see our lawful basis above), you have the right to object on ‘grounds relating to your particular situation’. We will have to demonstrate why it is appropriate for us to continue to use your personal data.
Changes to this Privacy Notice – we review this Privacy Notice regularly and will place updates on our website.
Please refer to our Corporate Privacy Notice for further details of how we process your personal information and your rights.
Other relevant information: