Last Updated: 02 Jul 2026
Cookie Policy
1. Overview
Sun Estimate is a solar estimation platform operated by Active Net Inc. ("we," "us," or "our"). When you visit sunestimate.ai, certain small data files called cookies and related tracking technologies may be placed on your device. This Cookie Policy explains what those technologies are, what purposes they serve on our platform, which third-party services contribute their own cookies to your browsing session, and how you can exercise control over what is stored on your device.
This Cookie Policy forms part of our broader Privacy Policy, which is available at sunestimate.ai/privacy. The Privacy Policy governs how we handle personal information more generally; this document focuses specifically on cookie and tracker activity.
The first time you arrive on sunestimate.ai, a consent banner will appear at the bottom of your screen. That banner gives you a clear choice: accept all cookies, accept only those that are strictly necessary to operate the site, or open a preference panel to make more granular selections. No analytics, advertising, or performance cookies will activate until you have made that choice. If you close or ignore the banner without making a selection, only strictly necessary cookies will run during your session.
We will post notice of any material changes to this policy by updating the "Last Updated" date shown above and, where the change significantly affects your rights, by displaying a notice on the site or contacting you directly. Continued use of sunestimate.ai after an update takes effect constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised policy, except where applicable law requires a more specific form of consent.
2. What Is a Cookie?
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your computer, phone, or tablet when you visit. The file is stored by your browser and typically contains a unique identifier, the name of the website that set it, and an expiration date that determines how long the file persists. Some cookies vanish the moment you close your browser (session cookies), while others remain on your device for a fixed period ranging from hours to years (persistent cookies).
Cookies are not programs; they cannot execute code, carry viruses, or access other files on your device. They work by allowing a web server to recognize your browser on a return visit, which makes it possible to remember preferences, keep you signed in, measure how pages are used, and deliver content relevant to your interests.
When a cookie is set directly by the site you are visiting, it is called a first-party cookie. When it is set by an external service whose code runs on that page, such as an analytics provider, ad network, or video platform, it is called a third-party cookie. Third-party cookies may track your activity across multiple websites that use the same service, which is why they receive particular attention in privacy law and this policy.
In addition to cookies, we and our partners may use related technologies such as pixel tags, web beacons, and JavaScript tracking snippets. These serve similar purposes to cookies and are subject to the same consent requirements described in this policy.
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies make the fundamental mechanics of sunestimate.ai work. They handle things like recording your cookie consent preference so the banner does not appear on every page load, maintaining the state of your solar estimation session as you move between steps, and ensuring that form submissions reach our servers correctly. Without them, core features of the platform would break.
Because they are essential to service delivery, strictly necessary cookies do not require your consent under applicable law, and the consent banner does not give you an option to disable them. They are always active when you use the site. We keep the number of strictly necessary cookies to the minimum needed to operate the platform.
3.2 Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember choices you make that go beyond the bare minimum required to use the site. On sunestimate.ai these may include storing your preferred language or region setting, retaining information you entered during a previous estimation session so you do not have to re-enter it on a return visit, and preserving any display preferences you have set. The information these cookies collect does not leave our platform and is not used to identify you across other websites.
Functional cookies are optional. They activate only after you consent to them through the banner on your first visit, and you may withdraw that consent at any time using the cookie preference controls described in Section 6.
3.3 Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors interact with sunestimate.ai: which pages they land on, how long they spend in the estimation flow, where they exit, which device types and browsers are in use, and broad geographic distribution by country or region. We use this data in aggregate to understand what is working well on the platform, where users encounter friction, and how to improve the product.
The analytics data we collect through these cookies may include IP addresses in pseudonymized form and persistent device identifiers, both of which can constitute personal information under California Civil Code Section 1798.140(v). Our primary analytics provider is Google Analytics 4, operated by Google LLC. Full details of how Google processes this data appear in Section 4.
Analytics cookies are optional and load only after you provide consent.
3.4 Advertising Cookies
Advertising cookies connect your visit to sunestimate.ai with paid search and display campaigns we run, primarily through Google Ads. Their main functions on our site are conversion tracking (determining whether a visitor who clicked on one of our ads ultimately completed an estimation) and remarketing (allowing us to show follow-up ads to people who visited the platform but did not complete an estimate).
These cookies may collect device identifiers, click-path data, and IP addresses that are transmitted to Google's servers for processing. Because this transmission can constitute a share of personal information with a third party under the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), California residents have the right to opt out of it. The mechanism for doing so is explained in Sections 5 and 6.
Advertising cookies are optional and will not activate unless you choose to accept them.
4. Third-Party Services and the Cookies They Set
The following external services are currently integrated into sunestimate.ai. Each one operates under its own privacy policy, and we encourage you to review those policies if you want a full picture of how those companies handle the data they collect. The disclosures below satisfy our obligation under the CCPA/CPRA to identify the categories of third parties with whom we share personal information collected through our platform.
Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag management system provided by Google LLC. It does not directly collect user data; instead, it acts as a container that loads and manages other scripts on the page. On sunestimate.ai, GTM is responsible for firing the Google Analytics and Google Ads tags described below. GTM itself runs on page load, but the scripts it manages are gated behind your consent choice; they will not fire until you accept the relevant cookie category through the consent banner.
Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is an audience measurement and behavioral analytics service provided by Google LLC. When enabled by your consent, it collects data including pages visited, session duration, referral source, device type, browser, operating system, and approximate geographic location derived from a truncated IP address. GA4 sets its own cookies on your device (most notably _ga and _ga_[container-id]) that persist for up to two years but can be reset at any time.
Data collected by GA4 is transmitted to Google's servers, where it is processed subject to Google's privacy policy. We have configured our GA4 property with IP anonymization enabled, which means the last octet of IPv4 addresses and the last 80 bits of IPv6 addresses are zeroed out before storage. You can review Google's data handling practices at policies.google.com/privacy.
Google Ads and Conversion Tracking
Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing tags are provided by Google LLC via the Google Ads platform and the googleadservices.com domain. When you arrive at sunestimate.ai after clicking one of our paid advertisements, a conversion cookie records that click so we can measure how many ad clicks result in completed estimates. Separately, a remarketing tag may record your visit so that our ads can be shown to you on other Google-partner sites at a later date.
These tags collect click IDs, device identifiers, and truncated IP addresses. Data is retained by Google for a conversion window of up to 90 days. Google's ad personalization settings, through which you can opt out of remarketing, are accessible at adssettings.google.com.
We will update this section each time a third-party service is added to or removed from sunestimate.ai.
5. First-Party Cookie Inventory
The following first-party cookies are currently set by sunestimate.ai directly. Descriptions reflect the version of the site at the effective date of this policy.
- cookie_consent - Strictly Necessary. Records your choices from the consent banner (accepted categories) so that your preferences are honored on return visits. Expires after 12 months.
- session_state - Strictly Necessary. Maintains the continuity of your estimation session as you move between steps of the solar calculator. This cookie holds no personal data; it contains only an anonymous session token. It expires when you close your browser.
- estimate_draft - Functional. If you begin an estimate but do not finish it, this cookie preserves the inputs you have entered (address, utility rate, and usage data) so you can resume where you left off on a return visit. It persists for 30 days and is set only when you have consented to functional cookies.
This inventory will be updated whenever a first-party cookie is added to or removed from the platform.
6. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
6.1 The Consent Banner
The most direct way to control your cookie preferences on sunestimate.ai is through the consent banner that appears on your first visit. The banner lets you accept all cookies, accept strictly necessary cookies only, or open a detailed preference panel where you can enable or disable each category individually. Your selection is saved in the cookie_consent cookie and honored on every subsequent visit for 12 months.
You can revisit and change your choices at any time by clicking the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of any page on sunestimate.ai. Changing your preference takes effect immediately: if you withdraw consent for analytics cookies, for example, the GA4 script will be deactivated for your current session and will not reload on future visits unless you re-enable it.
6.2 Browser-Level Controls
Every major browser provides built-in controls for managing cookies. You can configure your browser to block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, delete cookies on a schedule, or prompt you before any cookie is set. The support pages for the most widely used browsers, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, and Opera, each contain step-by-step guides for finding these controls. Because browser interfaces change frequently, we direct you to your browser's own help documentation rather than reproducing screenshots here.
Blocking cookies at the browser level will override the preferences you set in our consent banner. If you block all cookies, the strictly necessary cookies that power the estimation flow will also be blocked, and some features of sunestimate.ai may not work correctly.
6.3 Opt-Out Tools Provided by Third Parties
Google provides opt-out controls for both Analytics and Ads personalization that operate independently of our consent banner. To prevent GA4 from measuring your activity across all websites, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. To manage ad personalization preferences across Google's ad network, visit adssettings.google.com. These tools function at the Google account or browser level and apply wherever those services are in use, not just on sunestimate.ai.
7. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
The Do Not Track (DNT) header is a browser signal that some users configure to request that websites refrain from tracking them. At present, no binding legal standard governs how websites must respond to DNT signals, and industry practice remains inconsistent. sunestimate.ai does not currently alter its default cookie behavior in response to a DNT header.
The Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a different matter. The GPC is a browser-level signal whose legal status as an opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information is recognized under the CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code Section 1798.135(e)). If your browser or a browser extension transmits a GPC signal when you arrive at sunestimate.ai, we treat that signal as an opt-out request: advertising and targeting cookies will not be loaded for your session, and no data that would constitute a share under the CPRA will be transmitted to third-party ad services. The GPC signal is evaluated on each visit; it does not require you to interact with the consent banner.
8. Your California Privacy Rights
If you reside in California, the CCPA as amended by the CPRA grants you a set of rights with respect to personal information we collect through cookies and trackers on sunestimate.ai. The following summary describes those rights as they apply to cookie-derived data. A complete description of your rights under these statutes, including rights that relate to personal information collected outside of cookies, appears in our Privacy Policy at sunestimate.ai/privacy.
Right to Know. You may ask us to disclose the categories of personal information we have collected about you through our platform, the categories of sources from which it was collected, the business or commercial purpose for collecting it, and the categories of third parties to whom it has been disclosed. You may also request the specific pieces of personal information we hold about you, subject to verification of your identity.
Right to Delete. You may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you. Certain exceptions apply, including information we are required to retain by law and information necessary to complete a transaction you have requested. For cookie-derived data, the most direct deletion mechanism is to clear your browser's cookies for sunestimate.ai, which removes locally stored identifiers immediately.
Right to Correct. If we hold inaccurate personal information about you, you may request that we correct it. This right is most relevant to information you have submitted directly, such as contact details provided when requesting an installer match.
Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing. The transmission of advertising identifiers and device data to Google's ad network may constitute a sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CPRA. You have the right to opt out of that sharing. You may do so by: (a) declining advertising cookies in our consent banner; (b) clicking the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link in our site footer; or (c) transmitting a GPC signal from your browser, as described in Section 7.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information. To the extent any cookie or tracking technology we use collects sensitive personal information as defined in Cal. Civ. Code Section 1798.140(ae), you have the right to direct us to limit its use to the purposes specified in Section 1798.121. We do not believe our current cookie practices collect sensitive personal information as defined by the statute, but we include this disclosure in the interest of completeness.
Right of Non-Discrimination. Exercising any of the rights above will not affect the price or availability of services from SunEstimate. We will not deny, downgrade, or penalize your use of the platform because you exercised a privacy right.
To submit a formal rights request, please contact us at the address provided in Section 11. We will acknowledge your request within 10 business days and provide a substantive response within 45 calendar days. If we need additional time, we will notify you before the initial 45-day period expires and may take one extension of up to 45 additional days where reasonably necessary.
9. California Shine the Light Disclosure
California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (commonly referred to as the Shine the Light law) gives California residents the right to request, once per calendar year, the names and addresses of any third parties to which we disclosed personal information during the preceding calendar year for those third parties' own direct marketing purposes, along with the categories of information disclosed.
To make a Shine the Light request, please send a written inquiry to the address or email in Section 11 and include the phrase Shine the Light Request in the subject line. We will respond within 30 days of receipt.
10. Children's Privacy
SunEstimate is intended for use by homeowners and adults who are evaluating solar installations for residential or commercial properties. The platform is not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from minors through cookies or any other mechanism.
If you believe a minor has used sunestimate.ai in a way that resulted in the collection of personal information, please contact us using the information in Section 11. We will take prompt steps to delete any data identified as having been collected from a child.
11. Questions and Privacy Requests
If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, want to exercise a privacy right, or need to report a concern about our cookie or tracking practices, please reach out to us:
Sun Estimate
Privacy Inquiries Email: [email protected]
For questions specifically related to installer partnerships and data sharing in that context, you may also contact:
Email: [email protected]
We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 calendar days. For formal rights requests under the CCPA/CPRA, the response timeline described in Section 8 applies.