Privacy Policy

Revised August 28, 2020

NOTICE CONCERNING CUSTOMER INFORMATION

This notice describes how Puget Sound Energy handles your private information (such as your name, address, telephone number and other personal information), collected by virtue of the customer-utility relationship.

PSE's business practices are regulated by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission. The UTC has regulations which limit how PSE may disclose or sell your private customer information.

UTC regulations require PSE to obtain the customer's written or electronic permission before disclosing or selling any private customer information to affiliates, subsidiaries or other third parties for purposes of marketing services or products. In other words, before we provide your name, service address or other private information to any service or product provider who intends to market services or products to you, we must obtain your permission to do so first. If you choose not to give us permission, we will not provide any of your personal information to these third parties.

We may, however, insert marketing information into our billing packets. PSE also may share aggregated information, which does not allow you to be personally identified or contacted (for example, information on demographic and site usage), with third parties such as partners and advertisers, without your authorization. This information will not contain any material which could personally identify any individual person, or customer.

We respect your privacy. For more information about our privacy policies, please visit PSE.com or contact us at 1-888-225-5773.

PRIVACY POLICY

PSE's policy is to protect the confidentiality of customer information and to comply with all laws governing the privacy and security of such information. “Customer information” means private customer information and proprietary customer information as defined in RCW 19.29A.010, personal information as defined in chapter 19.255 RCW, and personal information as otherwise defined by applicable law. This Privacy Policy sets forth the principles that guide PSE's treatment of customer information. PSE collects, retains and discloses customer information with your consent or in accordance with our primary purpose, which is to provide regulated utility services as required by state or federal law, or as specifically authorized in PSE’s effective tariffs or by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Our Commitment

PSE takes its responsibility to maintain the confidentiality and security of customer information seriously. Our commitment to protect customer information is reflected in these principles, which inform PSE's practices and procedures when dealing with such information:

Choice. We will not disclose customer information to third parties for their own marketing purposes without your prior written consent.
Notice. We will inform you about our privacy practices by posting a privacy policy on our Web site and through other appropriate means.
Confidentiality. We will maintain the confidentiality of customer information and provide access to third parties only to the extent necessary for PSE to perform duties directly related to PSE’s primary purpose.
Security. We will use reasonable security practices and procedures to safeguard all customer information from unauthorized access or disclosure.
Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations. We will comply with all local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations applicable to the receipt, processing and storage of customer information.

MORE INFORMATION

What Personal Information Does PSE Collect?

Information You Provide to Us. We collect information you provide directly to us. For example, we collect information when you set up a utility account, apply for a job, communicate with us through social media sites, and request customer support. The types of information we may collect include your name, services requested, email address, postal address, phone number, billing information, username and any other information you choose to provide.
Information We Receive When You Use Our Utility Services. If you are a PSE utility services customer, our gas and electric meters collect information such as energy consumption, diagnostic and connection information, meter ID, and meter status data. In the case of solar customers, the meters collect the amount of electricity delivered back to the grid by you.
Information We Receive From Your Use of Our Other Services. When you access or use our website or mobile application or services other than utility services, we may automatically collect some information in connection with those services too, including log and device information, location information, and information collected by cookies or other tracking technologies.
Information We Collect From Other Sources. Sometimes we also obtain information from other sources such as identity verification services and combine that with information we collect through our services.

How Does PSE Use the Information That It Collects About Me?

If you are a PSE utility services customer, we use the information we collect about you to deliver and improve utility services. And if you use our online or other services, we use your information primarily to deliver and improve those services.

Does PSE Share My Information with Third Parties?

We do not sell your information, nor do we share information about you with third parties for their own marketing purposes without your consent.

We share your information with contractors or service providers that perform services on our behalf. For example, we may share your information with such parties that we have contracted with to provide customer support, web hosting, information technology, payment processing, product fulfilment, fraud control, analytics, or legal, insurance or accounting services. We may also provide your information, in appropriate circumstances, to law enforcement or other persons involved in a legal proceeding when necessary to comply with legal requirements or to respond to claims, or to protect the rights, property or safety of PSE, our customers, our website users, our employees or the public. We may also share aggregated or de-identified information, which cannot reasonably be used to identify you, to the extent reasonably necessary to perform duties directly related to our primary purpose.

What About Social Sharing Features?

PSE’s services online may offer social sharing features and other integrated tools (such as the Facebook "Like" button), which let you share actions you take on our services with other media, and vice versa. Your use of such features enables the sharing of information with your friends or the public, depending on the settings you establish with the entity that provides the social sharing feature. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and processing in connection with social sharing features, please visit the privacy policies of the entities that provide these features.

How Does PSE Secure My Information?

PSE uses reasonable security practices and procedures to safeguard all customer information within PSE’s possession or control from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Does PSE Transfer My Information Abroad?

No. PSE is based in the State of Washington within the United States and we process and store information in the U.S.

What Are My Choices When It Comes to My Information?

Online Account Information

You may update or correct information about you at any time by logging into your online account or contacting us as specified in the "Contact Us" section below. You may access your account and usage information by logging into your online account or contacting Customer Care at 1-888-225-5773; 1-800-962-9498 (TTY); 1-866-831-5161 (TRS). If you wish to delete or deactivate your online account, please email us at: customercare@pse.com. (Note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes and may also retain cached or archived copies of information about you for a certain period of time.)

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: customercare@pse.com, or you may call Customer Care at 1-888-225-5773; 1-800-962-9498 (TTY); 1-866-831-5161 (TRS). You may also write to us at Puget Sound Energy, PSE.com Webmaster, Communications, P.O. Box 97034, EST-04, Bellevue, WA 98009-9734.

CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

Consumers residing in California are afforded certain rights with respect to their personal information under the "Shine the Light" Law (California Civil Code section 1798.83) and the California Consumer Privacy Act or "CCPA" (California Civil Code Section 1798.100 et seq). Accordingly, if you reside in California, these additional paragraphs apply to you.

Shine the Light

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 entitles California customers to request information concerning whether a business has disclosed personal information (as defined in the law) to any third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We will not disclose your personal information (as defined in the law) to non-affiliated companies for their direct marketing purposes without your consent. California customers who wish to request further information about our compliance with this law or have questions or concerns about our privacy practices and this Privacy Policy may contact us as specified in the "Contact Us" section below.

California Consumer Privacy Act

Additional Disclosures Related to the Collection and Disclosure of Personal Information

Categories of personal information collected from third parties: In the preceding 12 months we have collected the following categories of personal information: identifiers; commercial information; demographic information; financial information; internet and electronic network activity information; professional or employment related information; education information; and other information that relates to or is reasonably capable of being associated with you. Examples of precise data points we collect are listed above in PSE’s Privacy Policy under "What Personal Information Does PSE Collect?"

Categories of sources from which personal information is collected: In the preceding 12 months we have collected personal information from the sources listed above in PSE’s Privacy Policy under "What Personal Information Does PSE Collect?"

Categories of personal information disclosed: In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed the following categories of personal information for business purposes: identifiers, internet and electronic network activity information, commercial information, demographic information, professional or employment related information, and other information that we have derived or inferred about you or that relates to or is capable of being associated with you.

Categories of third parties with whom personal information is shared: In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed personal information to the following categories of third parties: contractors or service providers that perform services on our behalf for customer support, web hosting, information technology, payment processing, product fulfilment, fraud control, analytics, or legal, insurance or accounting services. We have also provided information, in appropriate circumstances, to law enforcement or other persons involved in a legal proceeding when necessary to comply with legal requirements or to respond to claims, or to protect the rights, property or safety of PSE, our customers, our website users, our employees or the public.

Your California Consumer Rights

The CCPA also requires us to communicate information about the rights you have if you are a California consumer to request access to your personal information, to request deletion of your personal information, to request additional details about our information practices, to request to opt out of the "sale" of your personal information (if applicable), and to not be discriminated against for exercising your rights under the CCPA. For details about how to exercise these rights, please see below.

Right to Know: You may request access to the specific pieces of personal data we have collected about you in the last 12 months, and you may also request additional details about our information practices, including the categories of personal information we collected, the categories of sources of such collection, the business or commercial purpose for collecting personal information, and the categories of third parties with whom we share your personal information. You may request access by contacting us at: customercare@pse.com, or you may call Customer Care at 1-888-225-5773; 1-800-962-9498 (TTY); 1-866-831-5161 (TRS).

Deletion: You may request that we delete the personal information we have collected from you (subject to certain exceptions) by contacting us at: customercare@pse.com, or you may call Customer Care at 1-888-225-5773; 1-800-962-9498 (TTY); 1-866-831-5161 (TRS). If you request that we delete your personal information, certain services may no longer be available to you.