Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Bill Zap ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and handle information when you use our electricity bill comparison service at billzap.com.au.

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This policy explains the practical way Bill Zap approaches those obligations.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Electricity Bill Data

When you upload your electricity bill, we temporarily process:

• Usage data (kWh consumption, billing periods)
• Rate information (tariff rates, charges, fees)
• Bill amounts and dates
• Energy provider information
• Distribution network details

2.2 Personal Information We DO NOT Store

Bill Zap is designed to remove and not retain direct personal details such as:

• Your name and address
• Account numbers
• Customer reference numbers
• Any personally identifiable information

2.3 Anonymous Data We Retain

We may retain anonymised or aggregated comparison data such as:

• Usage patterns by postcode area
• Rate comparisons by distribution zone
• Seasonal usage trends
• Provider performance metrics

2.4 Optional Contact Information

If you choose to provide your email address for savings notifications or result delivery, we collect and store that contact information separately from bill comparison data.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Analyse your electricity bill and provide comparison results
• Generate bill-specific comparison guidance and next-step suggestions
• Improve our comparison algorithms through anonymous data analysis
• Send you savings notifications (only if you've opted in)
• Improve the service for Australian users over time

4. Data Processing and Security

4.1 Automatic Data Scrubbing

Uploaded bills go through automated processing that is intended to:

• Extracts only usage and rate data needed for comparison
• Remove direct personal identifiers from comparison data where possible
• Limit how long original bill images or PDFs are retained for processing and support needs
• Convert bill details into anonymous or aggregated comparison data where appropriate

4.2 Security Measures

We protect your information using secure web connections, controlled access, limited retention and ongoing operational review.

• Secure transmission for bill uploads and website sessions
• Access controls designed to limit who can handle bill data
• Review and maintenance of the systems that process uploaded files
• Removal of direct personal details from comparison data where possible
• Deletion of original files once processing windows and operational needs allow

5. Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information. We may share anonymous, aggregated data with:

• Energy market researchers (for industry insights)
• Consumer advocacy groups (to support better energy outcomes)
• Government agencies (if required by law)

Any shared data contains no personally identifiable information and cannot be traced back to individual users.

6. Your Rights Under Australian Privacy Law

Under the Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to:

• Access: Request information about what personal data we hold (though we retain minimal personal data)
• Correction: Request correction of any inaccurate personal information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your email address from our notifications list
• Complaint: Lodge a complaint about our privacy practices

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@billzap.com.au

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use essential cookies to:

• Remember your upload session
• Improve website performance
• Analyse anonymous usage patterns

We do not use tracking cookies for advertising or share cookie data with third parties.

8. Third-Party Services

We may use third-party providers to help with document processing, email delivery and core website operations. Where third parties are involved, we aim to use them only for the parts of the service they need to perform.

See our Data Protection page and Security page for the practical handling overview.

9. Data Retention

• Bill Images/PDFs: Intended to be retained only as long as needed for processing, support and short-term operational needs
• Direct Personal Details: Intended to be removed from comparison data during processing where possible
• Anonymous Usage Data: May be retained for service improvement and benchmarking
• Email Addresses: Retained until you unsubscribe or ask for removal, subject to operational or legal needs

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify users of significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new "last updated" date.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices:

• Email: privacy@billzap.com.au

Related trust pages: Data Protection, Security and Community Rates.

Privacy Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy, you can lodge a complaint with:

• Bill Zap: privacy@billzap.com.au
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au