1. Our privacy promise
- We do not sell your personal information — not to advertisers, data brokers, or anyone else.
- We do not rent or trade your data for marketing lists or commercial profiling.
- We do not use your household energy or vehicle data to target you with third-party ads.
- We use your information to run ChargeMeFree for you: connect integrations, automate charging, show dashboards, secure accounts, and provide support.
- Credentials and tokens are handled with encryption and access controls appropriate to a cloud energy service.
2. Who we are
This Privacy Policy applies to personal information handled by ChargeMeFree (“ChargeMeFree”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) through the website chargemefree.com, the ChargeMeFree application, and related support channels.
We aim to handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and other applicable privacy laws.
3. What we collect
Depending on how you use the Service, we may collect:
3.1 Account and contact information
- name, email address, password (stored as a secure hash), country;
- optional profile details you provide;
- support messages and attachments you send us;
- signup questionnaire details (vehicle, inverter, monitoring setup, approximate solar size, and similar onboarding fields).
3.2 Authentication and security data
- session tokens and login timestamps;
- multi-factor authentication status and related security events;
- IP address, browser/user agent, and basic diagnostic logs used for security and abuse prevention.
3.3 Integration credentials and tokens
- API tokens, refresh tokens, usernames, or other credentials you submit to connect vehicle, inverter, battery, monitor, or retailer platforms;
- integration configuration (provider type, device identifiers, include/priority settings).
These credentials are sensitive. We store and transmit them using encryption and restrict access to systems and personnel who need them to operate the Service.
3.4 Energy, vehicle, and usage data
- solar generation, home consumption estimates, grid import/export, battery metrics where available;
- vehicle charge state, charging status, amps, location/connectivity signals exposed by the vehicle API you authorise;
- charging mode selections, schedules, buffers, and automation history;
- operational metrics needed to calculate surplus and execute charge commands.
3.5 Payment information
If paid plans are introduced, payment card details are typically processed by a PCI-compliant payment provider. We do not store full card numbers on our servers unless expressly stated otherwise.
3.6 Information we do not seek
We do not require government ID numbers, health information, or unrelated financial account data to provide core solar-charging automation. Please do not submit sensitive information that is not needed for the Service.
4. How we use personal information
We use personal information only for purposes reasonably necessary to provide and improve ChargeMeFree, including to:
- create and manage your account;
- authenticate you and protect against unauthorised access;
- connect to third-party platforms you authorise and operate charging automation;
- display dashboards, history, alerts, and settings;
- provide customer support and troubleshoot issues;
- monitor reliability, security, and abuse;
- send service notices (for example security alerts, account approvals, material product or legal updates);
- comply with law and enforce our Terms; and
- improve features using aggregated or de-identified insights where practicable.
We will not use your personal information for unrelated direct marketing by third parties. If we ever send optional product updates or tips by email, you can opt out of non-essential messages.
5. We do not sell or commercialise your data
ChargeMeFree will not:
- sell personal information for money or other valuable consideration;
- share personal information with data brokers;
- license your identifiable household energy profile to advertisers;
- build third-party advertising audiences from your vehicle or solar data; or
- use your private credentials for any purpose other than operating your connected integrations for your account.
If this position ever changes in a material way (we do not intend for it to), we would update this Policy and provide prominent notice before any such use.
7. Security measures
We take the security of energy and vehicle-connected accounts seriously. Measures include, as applicable:
- TLS encryption in transit for the website and API;
- hashed passwords (we never store plaintext passwords);
- encrypted storage of integration secrets and tokens where supported by our architecture;
- session controls and optional multi-factor authentication;
- role-based access for administrative tools;
- logging and monitoring for suspicious activity;
- least-privilege access for systems that handle credentials; and
- regular review of dependencies and server configuration.
No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure. You can help by using a strong unique password, enabling MFA where available, keeping recovery emails secure, and revoking integrations you no longer use.
If we become aware of a data breach likely to cause serious harm, we will assess and handle notification obligations under applicable Australian law (including the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme where it applies).
8. How long we keep information
We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to:
- provide the Service while your account remains active;
- maintain security and audit logs for a limited period;
- resolve disputes and enforce agreements; and
- meet legal, tax, or accounting requirements.
When you close your account, we will delete or de-identify personal information on request where practicable, except where we must retain it for legal or legitimate security reasons. Residual backups may persist for a limited time before rotation.
9. Your rights and choices
Subject to the Privacy Act and applicable exceptions, you may request to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete information we no longer need to retain;
- disconnect integrations and revoke third-party access;
- export basic account configuration where tools are available; and
- lodge a privacy complaint with us.
To make a request, contact privacy@chargemefree.com or use in-app Support. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.
11. Storage and overseas disclosure
ChargeMeFree is operated with cloud infrastructure. Your information may be stored in Australia and/or in other countries where our hosting or subprocessors operate.
Where personal information is disclosed overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure recipients handle it in a way that is consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, or as otherwise permitted by law. Integration providers you connect (for example overseas vehicle or inverter clouds) may process data in their own regions under their policies.
12. Children
The Service is not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.
13. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date will change when we do. For material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify you (for example by email or an in-product notice).
14. Contact us
Privacy questions, access requests, and complaints:
- Email: privacy@chargemefree.com
- Support: chargemefree.com/support (signed-in users)
- General: support@chargemefree.com
Related: Terms of Service.