Privacy Policy

Effective September 30, 2026. Utility Cost Guide (“UCG”, “we”) is published by Muhammet Çay, a sole proprietor registered in Istanbul, Türkiye. This policy explains what information a visit can generate, how ads and analytics work, and what choices you have. Change cookie settings

Information we collect

Server and security logs. Our hosting and Cloudflare (CDN and security) process technical data such as IP address, request time, URL, browser type and security events to deliver and protect the site.

Analytics. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless, to count page views and measure page speed. We also use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to record page views and events such as calculator use, with standard device and traffic information.

Calculators. Calculator inputs and results are computed in your browser and are not sent to us as calculator data. Do not type personal information into free-text fields.

Email. If you write to us we receive your address, your message and anything you include, and use it only to review your report and reply.

Cookies and consent

We use Google Consent Mode v2. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, analytics and ad storage are denied until you accept them in the cookie banner. Your choice is saved in your browser’s localStorage under the key “ucg_consent”. You can reopen the banner and change it at any time with Change cookie settings. Elsewhere, cookies may be set as described below, and you can still limit them in your browser.

Advertising and Google AdSense

When ads run on this site, they are served by Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet.

You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. To opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising, visit www.aboutads.info. Learn more in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. Opting out does not remove ads; it makes them less relevant to you. See also our advertising disclosure.

How we use and share data

We use data to run and secure the site, understand which pages are useful, respond to email and show ads. We do not sell personal information. We share technical visit data only with the providers that operate hosting, security, analytics and advertising (Cloudflare, Google), which act under their own privacy policies. We do not share calculator entries, because we do not receive them.

Retention

Server and Cloudflare logs are kept under those providers’ operational retention settings. GA4 data follows the retention period configured in our GA4 property. Emails are kept only as long as needed to handle your request and maintain an accurate corrections record, then deleted.

Your rights in the EEA, UK and Switzerland

Under the GDPR and UK GDPR you may request access to, correction or deletion of your personal data, restrict or object to processing, and withdraw consent at any time (use the cookie settings link above). Withdrawing consent does not affect earlier processing. You may also complain to your local data protection authority. Our legal bases are consent (analytics and advertising cookies) and legitimate interest (security, running the site, answering email). Our providers may process data outside your country, including in the United States.

Your rights in the U.S. (CCPA and state laws)

Residents of California and other U.S. states with privacy laws may ask what personal information we hold, request correction or deletion, and opt out of “sale” or “sharing” for targeted advertising. We do not sell personal information for money; advertising cookies may count as “sharing” under some laws. Use Google Ads Settings above, your browser’s cookie controls or a Global Privacy Control signal to limit this. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

Children

This site is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us data, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes and contact

We will post any changes here with a new effective date. To exercise a right or ask a privacy question, email contact@utilitycostguide.com (see also contact). We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. Related pages: about, editorial policy.