1. Commitments
1.1 All members are required to uphold the integrity of the Passivhaus standard and behave in accordance with the objectives of the Trust. For clarity, the Trust’s objectives are:
- to preserve the integrity of Passivhaus standards and methodology
- to promote Passivhaus to the industry and government
- to help increase delivery of certified Passivhaus projects
1.2. This means that members must:
1.2.1. refer to Passive House (or Passivhaus) Buildings and the components suitable for their construction exclusively as those buildings/components that fulfil the Passive House Standard criteria, as set out by the Passive House Institute, Darmstadt, Germany (see www.passiv.de). The current criteria are available via https://pht.guide/criteria
1.2.2. acquaint themselves with, and act in accordance with, the Passivhaus Trust’s guidance on what it means to claim Passivhaus in the UK, available via https://pht.guide/claimingPassivhaus
1.2.3. commit to the principle of independent quality assurance by promoting Passivhaus certification where possible and appropriate, or approved partner third party quality assurance schemes where full Passivhaus certification is not feasible, and providing full, clear and accurate information about these
1.2.4. disclose to their client or employee any significant interest in another company (for example when recommending services or products).
1.3. And members must not:
1.3.1. misuse the term Passivhaus in a way that could be misleading
1.3.2. undertake work which they do not justifiably consider they have sufficient competence or resources to complete to the agreed standard
1.3.3. promise to either design, supply components/products for, offer consultancy for, or construct a Passivhaus building or without taking all reasonable steps to check that the standard can be met in practice
1.3.4. have any ongoing complaints that would bring the Trust into disrepute by association
1.3.5. be part of an external investigation (criminal or other) which may jeopardize the reputation and professionalism of the Trust and its members.
1.4. Standard, Patron and Student membership of the Passivhaus Trust also confers membership of the International Passive House Association (iPHA). As members of iPHA, in addition to the above, members must also commit to:
1.4.1. keeping abreast of the latest developments and knowledge in the Passive House field through training courses and the like
1.4.2. highlighting energy efficient products and methods to clients, thereby seeking to motivate the purchase and use of such products and methods
1.4.3. informing clients openly about costs and opportunities for savings
1.4.4. offering consistently high quality as well as opportunities for quality assurance.
2. Use of logo
2.1. The Passivhaus Trust logo can only be used with the express written permission of the Passivhaus Trust.
2.2. Standard Members (organisation) can use the PHT Member brand (e.g. name, logo, descriptive text) in corporate literature, documents, webpages etc and for similar uses relating to Passivhaus projects.
2.3. Standard Members (individual) can use the PHT Member brand (e.g. name, logo, descriptive text) in an individual capacity only. This might include use in a professional email signature, LinkedIn, and other individual social media accounts, but not in company-wide marketing material or webpages, except explicitly in connection to the named individual.
2.4. Founder Members, Partners and Patron Members can use the PHT Founder, PHT Partner and Patron brands (e.g. name, logo, descriptive text) respectively in corporate literature, documents, webpages etc and for similar uses relating to Passivhaus projects.
2.5. The PHT logos, including those for Members, Founders, Partners and Patrons do not construe achievement of the Passivhaus standard and must not be presented as such by Members, Founders, Partners or Patrons. In particular, they cannot be used to imply achievement of the Passivhaus Standard on an individual building or building project, nor to signify achievement of Passivhaus related training qualifications, such as Passivhaus Certifier or Passivhaus Certified Designer / Consultant etc.
2.6. Membership applies to the organisation, brand or individual name registered. This is the name that will be used on all Passivhaus Trust materials. Use of the PHT branding is restricted to activities occurring under this name.
2.7. If membership is sought by a subsidiary company or division, then the subsidiary company must have an identity that is distinct from the parent company or companies; membership in this case will be subject to approval by the PHT Board.
3. Payments and renewals
3.1. All membership fees are paid on an annual basis, and will be accounted in full at time of payment. No arrangements are available for partial membership or repayment of fees, even if membership benefits are no longer required or available.
3.2. Membership and access to member benefits commences on receipt of payment.
3.3. A fixed portion of the Patron membership fee will be accounted in full at time of payment in return for Patron benefits. The remainder of the fee will be allocated to membership fees for a period of 1 year.
3.4. Rates for Standard and Patron membership fees are set according to the annual turnover of the company. Turnover applies to all UK activities of the organisation registered. For multi-national companies, this will be clarified by using the denomination Name (UK).
3.5. In the case that membership has been approved for a subsidiary company or division, rates for membership fees are set according to the annual turnover of the subsidiary company or division.
3.6. Rates for membership fees are reviewed annually and may increase. The rate payable at time of renewal is the rate set for that calendar year, for the membership tier applicable to the organisation’s annual turnover in that calendar year.
3.7. Membership renewal fees fall due one year from the date of joining, and on the same date each subsequent year. Members will be invited to confirm their current tier and pay their membership renewal fee by email one month prior to the due date, with subsequent reminders issued up to the due date. The right to membership benefits lapses on that date if renewal payment has not been received, but may be extended for a grace period pending renewal payment, at the discretion of the Trust.
3.8. Members can choose to upgrade from Standard to Patron at any time after the first six months, and from Supporter or Student to Standard at any time after joining. The upgraded membership will commence on receipt of payment and run for one year from that date, and payment for the current membership will be refunded prorata.
3.9. Requests to cancel a membership will come into effect at the expiration of the current membership period. No renewal reminders will be sent and the right to membership benefits will lapse on the expiration date.
3.10. Members can choose to downgrade their membership level only at the time of renewal.
4. Membership eligibility and levels
4.1. Membership of the Passivhaus Trust is open to anyone and does not necessarily imply achievement of the Passivhaus standard for buildings or components, or attainment of Passivhaus-related qualifications. The differences between the membership types are specified below.
4.2. Standard membership (organisation)
4.2.1. All Standard members (organisation) will be listed in the PHT members directory.
4.3. Standard membership (individual)
4.3.1. Individual membership is available to employees of a larger company by agreement. The named individual will benefit from discounts on events and training, access to Passipedia, and all other Standard membership benefits, except as itemised below. For a sole trader, the first tier of Standard membership (organisation) is the appropriate choice, and is offered at the same rate as Standard membership (individual).
4.3.2. Individual members will appear in our members directory under their own name. The listing will not include a company logo or web link. Individual members can choose not to appear in the members directory.
4.3.3. Use of the PHT member logo is restricted to the named individual only.
4.4. Patron membership
4.4.1. Patron membership offers companies the opportunity to raise their profile and engage more actively with the work of the Trust. To be eligible for Patron membership, the applicant should meet ALL of the following criteria:
- should have held Standard membership for at least 6 months
- should have at least one certified Passivhaus project or have their service/products used in at least one certified project (this can be anywhere, i.e. not restricted to the UK)
- should be willing to assist with lobbying to introduce the Passivhaus standard into the mainstream building industry.
4.5. Supporter membership
4.5.1. Supporter membership is available at an annual rate of £50 + VAT for those who are not involved in the construction industry, but who are keen to support the Passivhaus movement in the UK, such as clients, campaigners and self-builders.
4.5.2. All applications are subject to approval.
4.5.3. Practitioners working within the industry are not eligible.
4.5.4. Supporter members can choose whether or not they would like to appear in the PHT members directory.
4.6. Student membership
4.6.1. Student membership offers students the opportunity to become involved with the Passivhaus movement in the UK, attend events run by the Passivhaus Trust at a discounted rate and access the latest research. The annual student rate is £20 + VAT.
4.6.2. All applications are subject to approval.
4.6.3. Student membership is available to full time students only.
4.6.4. The student membership cannot be transferred to a different student.
4.6.5. Student membership applies to the named individual only.
4.6.6. Students gain free access to Passipedia and other technical information from the Passive House Institute for a limited time once payment has been received.
4.6.7. Students may be asked for written evidence of their status from their educational institution.
4.6.8. Student members can call themselves members of the Passivhaus Trust and can use the Passivhaus Trust member logo.
4.6.9. Benefits apply for one calendar year from date of joining.
4.6.10. Renewals will NOT occur automatically. If a subsequent year of membership is desired, a new application must be submitted.
4.6.11. Student members can choose whether or not they would like to appear in the PHT members directory.
4.7. Academic membership
4.7.1. Academic membership offers the opportunity for educational institutions or departments to benefit from group discounts to PHPP, recommendations to Passivhaus mentors and a limited number of free access keys to Passipedia, in addition to the normal benefits of Standard membership.
5. International Passive House Association (iPHA)
5.1. The Passivhaus Trust is the UK affiliate of the International Passive House Association (iPHA). Passivhaus Trust Standard, Patron, and Student membership also confers membership of iPHA. Passivhaus Trust Standard, Patron and Student members will automatically be registered and their details shared with iPHA in accordance with iPHA’s standard Terms & Conditions. In joining iPHA, members must accept the following commitments:
5.2. The members of iPHA are dedicated to energy efficient construction and retrofitting, as well as to the use of renewable energies. As such, they commit themselves to:
- Referring to Passive Houses and the components suitable for their construction as exclusively those buildings / components that fulfil the Passive House Standard criteria as set out by the Passive House Institute (see www.passivehouse-international.org)
- Keeping abreast of the latest developments and knowledge in the Passive House field through training courses and the like
- Highlighting energy efficient products and methods to clients, thereby seeking to motivate the purchase and use of such products and methods
- Informing clients openly about costs and opportunities for savings
- Offering consistently high quality as well as opportunities for quality assurance.
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