Paul Ellis receives first Passivhaus Trust Pioneer Award
The Passivhaus Trust has come a long way since its launch in July 2010: by the end of 2021 we had signed up our 500th member and the Passivhaus movement had collectively completed over 1500 certified Passivhaus units. All of this was made possible by a small group of far-sighted pioneers who were involved in establishing the Trust; one of those early people who helped the Trust’s success was Paul Ellis, CEO of PHT Patron Ecology Building Society.
Paul has been personally committed to sustainable buildings for over 40 years, through his long-standing membership of the Passivhaus Trust and the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB). He led the development of the Ecology Building Society’s new headquarters building in West Yorkshire, which provides a demonstration of his and the Ecology’s principles and beliefs: it is built with a timber frame, high levels of insulation and air-tightness (though completed before Passivhaus entered the UK), photovoltaic panels and rainwater recycling, plus a straw bale meeting room!
Paul also helped support the development of green mortgages in the UK, including launching Ecology’s ground-breaking C-Change mortgages, which incentivise energy efficiency based on environmental standards including Passivhaus.
Through the Ecology Building Society, Paul has provided long-term financial support for the Passivhaus Trust for over ten years. Without his support, it’s safe to say that the Trust is unlikely to have survived, and certainly wouldn’t have thrived as it has. Paul has truly been a pioneer in the sustainable building movement, and in December 2021 the Trust was delighted to present him with an award as the first ever Passivhaus Trust Pioneer.
.jpg)
Having observed the record of delivering verifiable energy-efficient buildings that the Passivhaus approach represents, and after dialogue with our European colleagues, it was an obvious step to support moves to bring Passivhaus to the UK. So, I am very gratified at the advances made over the last 10 years and am deeply honoured to be the proud recipient of the first Passivhaus Trust Pioneer award. It’s been an immense privilege to have the opportunity to work with Jon and the other founders and I would like to thank them and the Passivhaus Trust team for all their hard work in ensuring that Passivhaus is now recognised as one of the leading sustainable building standards in the UK.
Paul Ellis, CEO Ecology Building Society
At the same time, Paul was awarded lifetime membership of the Passivhaus Trust and the AECB, in recognition of his long-standing support for both organisations.We look forward to working with Paul and the Ecology Building Society going forward and to seeing him at member meetings for many more years to come!
Paul has been a friend to both the AECB and Passivhaus Trust over many years, offering both organisations invaluable support. I am delighted that we could honour him with a PHT Pioneer Award and lifetime membership of both organisations and look forward to his continued involvement in the future.
Chris Herring, Chair of the Passivhaus Trust & AECB Board Member
Further information
1st February 2022
Get involved with the UK Passivhaus community
 |
 |
 |
 |
