Paul Ellis Receives First Passivhaus Trust Pioneer Award

Paul Ellis, our Chief Executive, has received the first ever Passivhaus Trust Pioneer award.

By the end of 2021 the Passivhaus Trust had signed up its 500^th member and the Passivhaus movement had collectively completed over 1500 certified Passivhaus units in the UK.

All this was made possible by a small group of far-sighted pioneers who were involved in establishing the Passivhaus Trust.  The Trust wanted to recognise Paul as one of those early people who helped their success.

As a result of Paul’s involvement, Ecology is a patron member of the Trust and has provided long-term financial support for over ten years. The award of the first ever Passivhaus Trust Pioneer is a testament to Paul’s longstanding commitment to support the sustainable building movement and the growth of green finance in the UK. Without his support, the Trust say that it’s unlikely to have survived, and certainly wouldn’t have thrived as it has.

At the same time, Paul was awarded lifetime membership of the Passivhaus Trust and the AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building), in recognition of his long-standing support for both organisations.

Chris Herring, Chair of the Passivhaus Trust and AECB (Association for Environmental Conscious Building) Board member explained,

“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.”

On receiving the award, Paul thanked the Passivhaus Trust,

“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.”

Last year, Paul announced he’s stepping down during 2022 after more than 40 years of involvement with the Society, 26 of which as Chief Executive.

Paul Ellis, Chief Executive, Ecology Building Society