How we look after your information
Written in plain English. If anything is unclear, please phone and ask.
This website
This website does not set cookies. Nothing is stored on your computer or your phone. That is why you are not asked to accept anything when you arrive.
We do count visits, so that we know which pages people find useful. We use software we run ourselves, on our own server in the United Kingdom. It records the page you looked at, the time, the website you came from, the country and nearest large town your internet connection appears to be in, and the type of device and browser you used. It does not store your IP address. It does not record anything that identifies you, so we cannot tell who you are and we cannot follow you to another website. If your browser is set to ask websites not to track you, we do not count your visit at all.
The web server also keeps a short technical log of visits (the time, the page and the type of web browser) for 30 days so that we can keep the site running safely. That log does not identify you either.
The "Ask a question" helper on this site answers general questions. Please do not type personal details into it. If you do, they are not stored by this website.
If you fill in the "Register your interest" form
The form asks for your name and phone number, and gives you the option of adding your email address, your postcode and a message. What you type is sent straight to the same secure system Age UK North, South & West Dorset uses for the rest of the service, and an email goes to the Energy Confidence team so that somebody rings you back.
It is used to contact you about Energy Confidence and for nothing else. We do not sell it, we do not share it with anyone trying to sell you something, and we do not add you to a mailing list. If you do not go on to use the service, we delete what you sent us after 12 months.
The form does not set a cookie. It records the time you sent it and nothing about your computer. If you would rather not use it, please phone or email instead. You will get exactly the same service.
You can ask us to delete your details at any time, before or after we have spoken. Phone us, or email energyconfidence@ageuknswd.org.uk, and we will confirm when it is done.
When you use the service
Age UK North, South & West Dorset is the organisation responsible for your information (the "data controller"). It collects only what it needs to give you energy support: your name, address, contact details, and notes from your conversations and visits. This is used to help you, to keep you safe, and to report to the people who fund the service on how it is working, without identifying you.
LDS Consulting Limited, trading as LDS Consultancy, runs the secure computer system the charity uses. It works under a written contract with the charity, follows the charity's instructions, and cannot use your information for anything else. All of the system runs on computers in the United Kingdom.
Smart meter monitoring and your consent
The service works with your smart meter, so taking part includes letting an energy support worker see how much energy your home uses over time. We ask you to sign a consent form first, and nothing is read until you have signed. The form says exactly what we look at, what it is for, and how to stop.
You can withdraw at any time by phone or in writing. We stop reading your meter straight away and confirm in writing that it has stopped. Because the monitoring is part of the service, withdrawing also ends your place on the programme, and you keep anything already fitted in your home. Monitoring ends when the project ends unless you ask us to continue.
If you would rather not share your meter readings, please still phone us. Age UK North, South & West Dorset has other services that may help.
Your meter readings come to us through a service regulated by the smart meter network, and are stored securely in the United Kingdom. They are used only to help your energy support worker spot when your home may be colder than it should be, to check whether the support has helped, and, in a form that cannot identify you, to show how well the service works. They are never sold, never shared with your energy supplier without your say so, and never used to make decisions about your benefits, care or anything else.
Your rights
You can ask to see the information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, or ask us to stop using it. To do any of these, phone us or write to Age UK North, South & West Dorset, Units 1 and 2, 5 Crown Square, Dorchester, DT1 3EN. If you are not happy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Last updated September 2026.