What If Home Energy — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 October 2026

What If Home Energy is built so your data stays on your phone. We have no account system, no sign-in and no analytics, and we store nothing about you on our servers. One optional feature sends a partial postcode to a third party to look up your energy region; it is described in full below, and you never have to use it.

What we collect

Nothing. Everything you enter — your home profile, scenarios, tariff details and settings — is stored locally on your device using Apple's on-device storage (UserDefaults). It is never sent to us, and we have no way to read it. The single exception, which leaves your device but never reaches us, is the optional postcode lookup described under Network use.

Network use

Three kinds of request go to our own content server at whatifhomeenergy.co.uk, and all three are one-way: the app asks for a file and reads it. None of them sends anything about you, your home, your tariffs or your usage.

• Resource links — the list of external links shown in the Resources section.
• Energy price cap rates — Ofgem's published cap figures, so the comparison stays current without needing an app update.
• App status — a small file letting us disable a feature or ask you to update if we find a serious problem after release.

Each falls back to information built into the app if it cannot be reached, so the app keeps working offline. Tariff rates are entered by you and are never looked up or sent anywhere.

The one request that sends something: postcode region lookup

The energy price cap is set at different rates for each of the fourteen distribution regions of Great Britain, and which one you are in is determined by postcode. If you choose to have the app work your region out for you, it sends the outward half of your postcode only — the part before the space, such as EH12 — to the industry grid supply point lookup at api.octopus.energy. It is sent on its own, with no identifier, no account and nothing else about you or your home attached.

An outward code covers thousands of households, so it does not identify your address or you as a person. We deliberately discard the inward half before sending, so your full postcode never leaves the device even though you may have typed it.

This is entirely optional. You can pick your region from a list instead and the app will never make this request. Octopus Energy is used because this is the shared industry postcode-to-region map rather than a supplier's own tariff service, so relying on it does not tie the app to any one supplier — but it is a third party, and their handling of that request is governed by their privacy policy, not ours. We do not receive the result, see the request, or learn your region.

As with any web request, our server sees your device's IP address and the file requested. We do not log these to identify you, combine them with anything else, or build any profile from them.

Purchases and reminders

What If Plus is bought through Apple's App Store. Apple handles the payment; we never see your name, Apple ID, card or any payment details, and the app checks your purchase with Apple on the device. There is no account and nothing is stored on our servers.

Price cap and renewal reminders, if you turn them on, are local notifications scheduled by your phone from dates already on it. Nothing is sent to us or any notification service, and you can turn them off in the app or in iOS Settings.

No tracking or analytics

We do not use analytics, advertising, tracking pixels, cookies, device fingerprinting, or any App Tracking Transparency features. We do not build a profile of you and we do not share data with anyone, because we hold none.

External links & affiliates

The Resources section links to independent third-party websites (for example energy comparison services, Ofgem and the Energy Saving Trust). Some of these may be affiliate or referral links, meaning we could earn a small commission or referral reward if you switch or buy through them. This never affects which services are listed or recommended, and following a link opens that site in a standard in-app browser governed by that site's own privacy policy, not ours.

Children

What If Home Energy is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children. Because we collect no data, we collect none from anyone regardless of age.

Your control

All your data lives on your device. You can erase every profile, scenario, tariff and setting at any time using Clear all data in the About tab. Deleting the app also removes all of it. There is nothing held elsewhere to request or delete.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted here with a new date. We will not retroactively reduce your privacy — there is nothing to reduce, as we collect nothing.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email privacy@whatifhomeenergy.co.uk.

What If Home Energy provides estimates only, based on the rates and consumption figures you enter and standard UK consumption assumptions. It is not financial advice. Always verify tariff rates with your supplier before switching.