This policy explains what personal information Nova Metrics collects, why we collect it, how we use it, and what your rights are. We are committed to handling all personal information responsibly and in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Nova Metrics (Pty) Ltd ("Nova Metrics", "we", "us") operates the Solar Intelligence platform — an end-to-end operations platform for South African solar installers. We are registered in the Republic of South Africa.
Nova Metrics is the Responsible Party as defined under POPIA for all personal information processed through this platform.
We collect personal information in two contexts: from solar installers who subscribe to the platform, and from end-clients whose details are entered by installers when generating proposals and managing jobs.
| Information | Why we collect it | Legal basis (POPIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Full name, company name, email address | To create and manage your account | Performance of a contract |
| Contact number, physical or business address | To print on proposals you generate; for support and account communication | Performance of a contract |
| Company registration number | To verify your business identity and include in platform records | Legitimate interest / legal obligation |
| Logo, brand colours | To apply your branding to proposals generated on the platform | Performance of a contract |
| Payment information | Processed by PayFast — we do not store card or bank details | Performance of a contract |
| Login activity, session data | Security, fraud prevention, platform improvement | Legitimate interest |
When an installer uses the platform, they enter information about their own clients in order to generate proposals and manage installations. As the Responsible Party, we process this information on behalf of the installer. The installer remains responsible for obtaining appropriate consent from their clients before entering their information into the platform.
| Information | Why it is entered | Legal basis (POPIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Full name, email address | To address the proposal and deliver it by email | Legitimate interest of the installer |
| Physical address | For site-specific system design and to include in the proposal | Legitimate interest of the installer |
| Contact number | For installer follow-up and to print on the proposal | Legitimate interest of the installer |
| Monthly electricity bill, property details | To calculate system sizing and financial projections | Legitimate interest of the installer |
| Proposal engagement data (email opens, PDF views, download timestamps) | To help installers follow up at the right time | Legitimate interest of the installer — see Section 5 |
We use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected. Specifically:
We do not sell personal information to any third party. We do not use personal information for direct marketing to end-clients without their explicit consent.
We share personal information only where necessary to provide the service, and only with parties who are bound by appropriate data protection obligations.
| Third party | What is shared | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase Inc. (supabase.com) | All platform data including installer and client records | Database and file storage infrastructure. Data is processed under a Data Processing Agreement. |
| PayFast (Pty) Ltd | Installer payment information only | Payment processing for subscriptions. PayFast is a registered payment service provider in South Africa. |
| Email delivery provider | Installer email address, proposal recipient email address | Delivery of proposals and platform notifications |
| Anthropic PBC (Claude AI) | Project inputs used to generate proposal narrative text | AI-assisted proposal writing. No personal identification information is included in AI prompts. |
We do not share personal information with any other third party without your explicit consent, except where required by law or court order.
When an installer sends a proposal to their client through the platform, we track the following engagement events: whether the proposal email was delivered, when it was opened, how many times the PDF was viewed, and when it was downloaded.
This tracking exists to help the installer know when to follow up with their client. It uses standard email tracking technology (a small transparent image embedded in the email).
If you have received a Nova Metrics proposal from a solar installer: you have been informed of this tracking by the disclosure in the proposal email footer. If you would like this tracking disabled for your proposal, contact the installer who sent it or email us at info@novametricsgroup.com and we will disable it for your record.
| Information type | Retention period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Installer account data | Duration of active subscription + 3 years after cancellation | Legal and accounting obligations |
| Proposal and client records | Duration of installer's active subscription + 3 years | Installer may need historical records for warranty and COC purposes |
| Installation and job records | 7 years from job completion | Aligned with standard warranty and legal record-keeping obligations in the solar industry |
| Payment records | 5 years | Required by the Income Tax Act and VAT Act |
| Login and session logs | 12 months | Security monitoring |
When retention periods expire, we securely delete or anonymise the information.
We take the security of personal information seriously. Our technical and organisational measures include:
Despite these measures, no internet-based system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in harm to data subjects, we will notify affected parties and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA within the required timeframes.
Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at info@novametricsgroup.com. We will respond within 30 days.
Installers who use Solar Intelligence to process their clients' personal information bear the following responsibilities:
Our website (novametricsgroup.com) uses standard web analytics to understand how visitors interact with the site. This may include anonymised data about pages visited, browser type, and geographic region. We do not use advertising cookies or share website analytics data with third-party advertisers.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify active installers of material changes by email. The effective date at the top of this document will always reflect the most recent update. Continued use of the platform after a notified change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your personal information, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us: