Privacy Policy

We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains exactly what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it when you visit AC Units Guide.

Privacy at a Glance

We collect minimal data: Basic analytics and cookie preferences — no personal accounts or payment information.
We don't sell your data: Your information is never sold to third parties for any purpose.
Third-party services: Google Analytics and affiliate partners receive limited data as described below.
You have control: You can opt out of analytics tracking and decline non-essential cookies.
We use cookies: To improve your experience and understand how our site is used.

Introduction

AC Units Guide ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website https://www.acunitsguide.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site. Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Site.

We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This policy applies to all information collected through our Site, including any data you may provide through forms, cookies, analytics tools, or other collection methods.

Our approach to privacy: We believe in data minimalism. We only collect information that is necessary to operate and improve our website. We do not require account creation, we do not process payments (all purchases happen on retailer websites), and we do not engage in invasive tracking practices. Our goal is to provide a helpful, educational resource while respecting your privacy.

Information We Collect

We collect information in the following ways when you interact with our Site:

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Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing session, including IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages viewed.

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Analytics Data

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our Site, including which pages are visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns. This data is aggregated and anonymized.

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Cookie Data

We use cookies to store your preferences (such as cookie consent choice), remember your settings, and support the functionality of our Site.

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Voluntarily Provided Data

If you contact us through our contact form, we collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, and message content.

What we do NOT collect: We do not collect Social Security numbers, financial information, payment details, passwords, or other sensitive personal data. We do not require you to create an account. We do not collect data through social media integrations. All purchases happen on third-party retailer websites, and we never see your payment information.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To operate and maintain our Site: Ensuring the Site functions correctly, loads quickly, and provides a good user experience.
To improve our Site: Understanding which content is most useful, identifying navigation issues, and making data-driven improvements to our buying guides, AC type explanations, and other educational content.
To understand our audience: Learning about the geographic locations, devices, and interests of our visitors so we can create more relevant content about air conditioning topics.
To respond to inquiries: Answering questions you submit through our contact form.
To comply with legal obligations: Meeting requirements under applicable privacy laws and responding to legal processes.
To support affiliate relationships: Tracking clicks on affiliate links so that participating retailers can attribute purchases to our referrals (as explained in our affiliate disclaimer).

Decision-making: We do not use your information to make automated decisions about you, including profiling that could affect your legal rights. We do not use your data for marketing purposes beyond the operation of our Site.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for the purposes described below.

Cookie Category	Purpose	Duration	Can Opt Out?
Essential	Required for basic Site functionality (cookie consent preference, security features)	Up to 1 year	No
Analytics	Help us understand how visitors use our Site (Google Analytics)	Up to 2 years	Yes
Affiliate	Tracks clicks on affiliate links for commission attribution	Session / Up to 90 days	Limited
Advertising	Supports third-party ad networks (if applicable)	Varies by network	Yes

Cookie consent banner allowing users to accept or decline cookies on website

Our cookie consent banner allows you to choose which types of cookies to accept

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Site to function properly. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You cannot opt out of essential cookies, as the Site cannot function properly without them.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit our Site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to our Site. We use this information to improve our Site.

Google Analytics uses cookies to collect data. The information generated is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google may use this data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Opting out of Google Analytics: You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Alternatively, when presented with our cookie consent banner, you can decline analytics cookies to prevent this tracking.

Affiliate Tracking Cookies

When you click on affiliate links on our Site, third-party affiliate networks may set cookies on your device. These cookies are used to track your click and attribute any subsequent purchase on the retailer's website to our referral. For more details, see our affiliate disclaimer.

Affiliate cookies are set by the affiliate network (such as Amazon's tracking system), not by us directly. The duration and specific behavior of these cookies is determined by the affiliate network's policies. If you clear your cookies after clicking an affiliate link but before making a purchase, we may not receive credit for the referral — but this does not affect the price you pay.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

When you first visit our Site, you will see a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by:

Clearing your browser's cookies and reloading our Site to see the consent banner again
Using your browser's settings to block or delete cookies (note this may affect Site functionality)
Using browser extensions that manage cookie permissions

Third-Party Services

We use third-party services that collect, monitor, and analyze data. Each third-party service has its own privacy policy addressing how they use such information.

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Google Analytics

Web analytics service that collects anonymized data about visitor behavior. Data is processed according to Google's privacy policy.

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Amazon Associates

Affiliate program that tracks referral clicks and purchases. Amazon's privacy policy applies to data they collect.

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Google AdSense

Advertising network that may display ads and use cookies for ad personalization (if applicable).

Important: When you click on affiliate links and are redirected to retailer websites (such as Amazon.com), you are leaving our Site and are subject to the privacy policy of that retailer. We have no control over the data collection practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share limited information in the following circumstances:

With service providers: We may share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as web hosting, analytics processing, and affiliate tracking. These service providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the purposes of providing these services.
With affiliate partners: When you click an affiliate link, the affiliate network and retailer receive information about your click and any subsequent purchase on their platform. See our affiliate disclaimer for details.
For legal compliance: We may disclose information if required to do so by law, in response to a valid legal request (such as a subpoena or court order), or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
In connection with a business transfer: If we sell, merge, or transfer all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We would notify you via a prominent notice on our Site before any such transfer.

Our commitment: We share only the minimum information necessary for each purpose. We do not share your full browsing history, do not create profiles about individual users, and do not allow third parties to use our Site for their own tracking purposes beyond what is described in this policy.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Analytics data: Google Analytics data is retained for 26 months by default, after which it is automatically deleted.
Cookie preferences: Your cookie consent choice is stored for up to 1 year, after which you will be asked to consent again.
Contact form submissions: Messages you send through our contact form are retained for up to 2 years for reference purposes, then deleted.
Affiliate tracking data: This data is managed by the respective affiliate networks according to their own retention policies.

When we no longer need your information for the purposes described in this policy, we will delete it or anonymize it so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

SSL/TLS encryption: Our Site uses HTTPS to encrypt data transmitted between your browser and our servers.
Secure hosting: Our Site is hosted on reputable, secure infrastructure with regular security updates.
Access controls: Access to personal information is limited to authorized personnel who need it to perform their duties.
Regular monitoring: We monitor our systems for potential security vulnerabilities and respond to threats promptly.

No system is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Transmission of information over the internet is not completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted to us. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your own device and browser.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We are committed to honoring these rights.

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Right to Access

You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

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Right to Correction

You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

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Right to Deletion

You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

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Right to Opt Out

You can opt out of data processing for analytics, advertising, or affiliate tracking purposes.

Additional rights that may apply depending on your jurisdiction:

Right to data portability: Request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your personal information.
Right to object: Object to our processing of your personal information based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
Right not to be subject to automated decision-making: Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you.
Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to process your data.

How to exercise your rights: To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 30 days (or sooner if required by applicable law). We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

California residents (CCPA): If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to delete personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. For more information, see California-specific provisions below.

Children's Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so we can delete such information.

If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants California residents specific rights regarding their personal information. This section summarizes those rights as they apply to AC Units Guide.

Right to Know: California residents have the right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell. As stated above, we do not sell personal information.

Right to Delete: California residents have the right to request that we delete personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions (such as information needed to complete a transaction or comply with legal obligations).

Right to Opt Out: California residents have the right to opt out of the "sale" of personal information. AC Units Guide does not sell personal information.

Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a request under the CCPA, please contact us. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within the timeframes required by law.

International Data Transfers

Our Site is hosted in the United States, and we use service providers that may be located in other countries. If you access our Site from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other countries.

These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country of residence. By using our Site and providing your information, you consent to such transfers. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information is protected in accordance with this privacy policy.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites you visit indicating you do not want to be tracked. Currently, there is no industry consensus on how websites should respond to DNT signals.

AC Units Guide does not currently respond to DNT signals. However, we honor your cookie consent preferences. If you decline analytics cookies through our consent banner, we will not track your browsing behavior for analytics purposes, which achieves a similar result to a DNT signal.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of material changes by:

Posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page
Updating the "Last Updated" date at the bottom of this page
For significant changes, displaying a notice on our Site

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about how we handle your data, we want to hear from you.

Privacy Inquiries

For privacy-related questions, data access requests, or to report a privacy concern, please contact us.

We will acknowledge receipt of your inquiry and respond within 30 days (or sooner if required by applicable law). In some cases, we may need additional time or information to fulfill your request.

Related pages you may find helpful:

Effective Date: This Privacy Policy applies to all access to and use of AC Units Guide from the date of first access.

Last Updated: This Privacy Policy was last reviewed and updated to ensure it accurately reflects our current data practices and complies with applicable privacy laws.

Jurisdiction: This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the United States. If you are accessing our Site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

Severability: If any provision of this Privacy Policy is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that this policy shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.

Entire agreement: This Privacy Policy, together with our Disclaimer and Affiliate Disclaimer, constitutes the entire agreement regarding your use of AC Units Guide.