Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 26, 2026

This is a working policy pending attorney review. We may update it as that review is completed.

Smarter 21st Century LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company doing business as Effective Connect (“Effective Connect,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), operates effectiveconnect.net and any future site at effectiveconnect.com (the “Site”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us

Lead and contact forms: name, work email, phone number, company name, utility interest (water, electricity, natural gas), facility ZIP code, and any message you send.
Calendly booking: when you schedule a consultation through our embedded Calendly scheduler, Calendly collects your name, email, chosen time, and any answers you provide, and shares them with us. Calendly’s own privacy policy also applies.
Bills and documents: utility bills or usage data you choose to share so we can review your costs.
Email preferences: whether you opt in to receive marketing emails from us.

Information collected automatically

Device and browser data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, language, and screen size.
Approximate location: city/region/country inferred from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS location.
Usage data: pages viewed, referring site, time on page, clicks, and form interactions.
Campaign and attribution data: UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign, term, content) and ad click identifiers such as Google gclid and Meta fbclid. We may store these in your browser’s session storage or a cookie so we can attribute a form submission or booking to the ad or link that brought you here.
Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 4.

2. How We Use Information

To respond to inquiries, schedule and hold consultations, and review your utility costs.
To provide proposals for water-savings products (such as SmartValve™) and electricity and natural gas procurement services.
To send service communications and, if you opt in, marketing emails. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email.
To measure Site performance, understand which campaigns work, and improve our content.
To deliver and measure advertising, including on platforms such as Google and Meta, when we use them.
To protect the Site, prevent fraud and spam, and comply with legal obligations.

3. How We Share Information

We do not sell personal information for money. We share information only as follows:

Service providers that act on our behalf, such as website hosting, form processing, Calendly scheduling, email delivery, CRM, and analytics providers.
Energy and product partners (for example, licensed energy suppliers or equipment providers) when needed to prepare a quote or proposal you requested.
Advertising and analytics partners (such as Google and Meta, when used) through cookies, pixels, and click identifiers. Under some state laws, including California’s, this may be considered “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising. You can opt out as described below.
Legal and safety: when required by law, or to protect our rights, users, or others.
Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Like most commercial websites, we use cookies, pixels, local and session storage, and similar technologies. We group them into these categories:

Essential (always on): needed for the Site to work, including security, load balancing, form submission, and remembering your cookie choices.
Analytics / performance: help us count visits, see which pages are used, and improve the Site (for example, Google Analytics or similar tools).
Advertising / marketing (when used): help us measure ad campaigns and show relevant ads on other sites and platforms (for example, the Google Ads tag or Meta Pixel), and store UTM, gclid, and fbclid values for attribution.

Managing your choices

Cookie banner: on your first visit you can Accept all, Reject non-essential, or Manage preferences. Analytics and marketing cookies are only set according to your choice where required by law.
Withdraw or change consent: you can change your choices at any time using the Cookie Preferences link in the Site footer.
Browser controls: most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking essential cookies may break parts of the Site.
Ad industry opt-outs: you can also use Google Ad Settings, Meta ad preferences, and optout.aboutads.info.
Global Privacy Control: we treat a valid GPC browser signal as a request to opt out of sale/sharing for that browser.

We do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” signals other than GPC.

5. Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (CCPA), gives you the right to:

Know / access the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collected about you, its sources, purposes, and who we share it with.
Delete personal information we collected from you, subject to legal exceptions.
Correct inaccurate personal information.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell personal information for money, but our use of advertising cookies may count as “sharing” under the CCPA. Use “Reject non-essential” in the cookie banner, enable GPC, or contact us to opt out.
Limit use of sensitive personal information. We do not collect sensitive personal information for purposes that require this right.
Non-discrimination for exercising these rights.

Categories collected in the past 12 months: identifiers (name, email, phone, IP address); commercial information (utility interest, bill data you provide); internet activity (browsing and ad interaction); approximate geolocation; and professional information (company name). Sources: you, your device, and our service and advertising partners.

How to make a request: email bshilling@effectiveconnect.com with the subject “Privacy Request.” We will verify your identity by matching information you provide to what we hold, and respond within 45 days (extendable as permitted by law). An authorized agent may submit a request with your signed permission.

Residents of other states with similar privacy laws (such as Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and others) may make similar requests the same way. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our response.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes above, including active business relationships, follow-up, and legal, tax, or accounting requirements, then delete or de-identify it.

7. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

8. Children

The Site is intended for businesses and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

9. Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may link to or embed third-party services (such as Calendly). Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy. We will post the updated version with a new effective date, and, where required, notify you of material changes.

11. Contact Us

Smarter 21st Century LLC (Effective Connect)
Email: bshilling@effectiveconnect.com
Web: effectiveconnect.net