Privacy
Analytics isn't switched on yet, so there's no notice to answer, no analytics cookie and nothing going to Google. The section below describes what happens once it is.
Short version: Hearth Owl uses Google Analytics to count visits. In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, it stays off until you accept it. This page was last updated on November 2, 2026.
Cookies and analytics
I use Google Analytics 4 to see which articles people actually read. It records the pages you open, the page you came from, your language, your screen size and a rough location. I can't see your name from it. Advertising storage and ad personalization are switched off in the tag.
Google says it doesn't log or store individual IP addresses from users in the EU, Switzerland or the UK: it works out the location, then discards the address. Elsewhere, Google says it uses IP addresses for spam detection and coarse location, and discards the raw address after use.
If you accept, two cookies get set on this site, _ga and one starting _ga_. They tell one visitor and one session from another. Google's default life for both is 2 years, though Chrome caps them at 400 days and Safari at 7.
In the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, a small notice asks first. Until you accept, or if you decline, the Google Analytics script doesn't load, no cookies are written and nothing goes to Google. Everywhere else there's no notice, and it runs from your first page.
Want out? Change your choice here, install Google's opt-out add-on, or block cookies in your browser. Google explains its side in its privacy policy.
Server logs
Like most websites, this one runs on a server that keeps logs. A log entry usually records an IP address, the page requested, the browser's user agent and the time of the request. Those logs are used to keep the site running and to look into errors or abuse.
Links to stores
Retailer links take you to other companies' sites. Once you're there, that site's own privacy policy and cookies apply. I don't control those.
The home sizer
Your floor area, household size and type of home are used to show appliances that fit. On the full results page, they travel in the page address, so they can show up in the server logs described above, and in Google Analytics, which records page addresses. There's no account to create, and nothing asks for your name.
Contact
Questions, or a request about your data, can go to hello@hearthowl.com.