Association for Environment Conscious Building
The AECB is an independent UK not-for-profit, founded in 1989, running the largest network of sustainable building professionals (2,000+ members) through CarbonLite™ Standards, the Passivhaus Trust subsidiary, a tiered training center, and certification programs serving architects, contractors, self-builders, and housing associations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersBarnoldswick, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Association for Environment Conscious Building does
The Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) is an independent, not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Llandysul, Wales. It operates the largest and longest-running UK network for sustainable building, uniting 2,000+ members and 3,000+ professionals across contractors, tradespeople, self-builders, architects, designers, engineers, manufacturers, housing associations, local authorities, and academics. Its core offering is the CarbonLite™ Standards program — separately maintained standards for New Build and Retrofit projects — supported by an approved network of 59 certifiers and a wholly owned subsidiary, the Passivhaus Trust (250+ members).
The AECB monetizes through four primary streams: tiered annual membership subscriptions (ranging from free Partner tier to £999/year for largest companies); paid professional training delivered via the CarbonLite Training Centre (Foundation Course, Retrofit Coordination Level 5 Diploma, Building Physics, PHPP, and Whole Life Carbon Assessment courses); events and an annual conference (Fabric Matters); and software and book sales through an online shop, including the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), designPH, PHribbon whole-life carbon calculator, and the AECB Embodied Carbon Calculator. Distribution is direct via aecb.net, supplemented by 24 volunteer-led local groups across the UK and Ireland that host in-person events, site visits, and CPD seminars.
Operationally, the AECB is governed by an elected Board of Trustees and staffed by a small team covering finance, training operations, events/marketing, and standards/certification. Its 2026 strategic agenda includes recruiting a new Executive Director following the 2025 retirement of co-founder Keith Hall, who also donated the Green Building Forum to the organization. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the entity is privately held with no external investors and operates exclusively in the UK and Ireland.
Association for Environment Conscious Building firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Association for Environment Conscious Building
- Legal name
- Association for Environment Conscious Building
- Website
- https://aecb.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The AECB is an independent UK not-for-profit, founded in 1989, running the largest network of sustainable building professionals (2,000+ members) through CarbonLite™ Standards, the Passivhaus Trust subsidiary, a tiered training center, and certification programs serving architects, contractors, self-builders, and housing associations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Association for Environment Conscious Building industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Building Certification and Training
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- EMS Training & Competency Development (EUAHAIAH), Compliance Carbon Market Verification & Accreditation (EU ETS/UK ETS/California/Regional) (EUABACAB)
Keywords
Where Association for Environment Conscious Building is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barnoldswick
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Association for Environment Conscious Building business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees ranging from free (Partner tier) to £999/year for largest companies, providing access to resources, training discounts, directory listings, and networking.
- Training Courses: Revenue from CarbonLite Retrofit Foundation Course, Retrofit Coordination Level 5 Diploma, Building Physics Course, PHPP Course, and Whole Life Carbon Assessment Course.
- Events and Conferences: Annual conference tickets, webinars (some free, some members-only), and local group events.
- Shop Products: Sale of software products including Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) and designPH, plus books and resources.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Sole trader membership for independent professionals |
| Subscription | Annual | Small company membership for businesses under £250k turnover |
| Subscription | Annual | Medium company membership for businesses £250k-£1m turnover |
| Subscription | Annual | Large company membership for businesses £1m-£10m turnover |
| Subscription | Annual | Supporting individual membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Largest companies membership for businesses over £10m turnover |
| Subscription | Annual | Employee supplementary membership for company members |
| Subscription | Annual | Local authority and housing association membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Student membership (ID required) |
| Subscription | Annual | Introductory or retired membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Education institution membership with student discounts |
| Subscription | Annual | Partner membership tier |
| Subscription | Annual | AECB Certifier certification membership |
| Freemium | Annual | Student Green Deal package with discounted training and resources |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The AECB develops and operates the CarbonLite™ building standards and certification scheme for low-energy, sustainable construction (separate New Build and Retrofit pathways). It sells CarbonLite/Passivhaus software tools (PHPP, designPH, PHribbon, AECB Carbon Calculator), runs a portfolio of paid training courses culminating in a Level 5 Retrofit Coordination Diploma, and underpins everything with a tiered membership network of more than 2,000 professionals and 59 approved certifiers across the UK and Ireland.
Product overview
The AECB operates as a membership-based network organization offering a portfolio of certification standards, professional training programs, and software tools for sustainable building. The core CarbonLite™ Standards program encompasses separate standards for new build and retrofit projects, with associated certification pathways. Supporting the standards are software tools including PHPP/designPH for energy modelling, PHribbon for whole life carbon calculation, and the AECB Carbon Calculator for embodied carbon assessment. The AECB also delivers training through its CarbonLite Training Centre, offering courses ranging from foundation level through to Level 5 Diploma coordination qualification, alongside topic-specific courses on building physics and whole life carbon assessment. The Green Building Knowledgebase provides supplementary technical resources for members.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AECB CarbonLite Standards
Quantifiable outcome
- Created the Passivhaus Trust with 250+ members as a wholly owned subsidiary
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Association for Environment Conscious Building
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- 21 DegreesminorConference sponsor providing visibility among AECB's environmentally conscious professional members. 21 Degrees (formerly Green Building Store) is a Passivhaus design and sustainability consultancy.
- Five Rise ContractorsminorConference sponsor supporting sustainable construction events. Five Rise Eco Homes division focuses on Passive House and CarbonLite retrofit projects.
- AirflowminorConference sponsor specializing in ventilation and air quality products relevant to sustainable building.
- EcococonminorConference sponsor providing hempcrete building solutions for sustainable construction.
- Ecological Building Systems UKminorConference sponsor offering sustainable building materials and systems for low energy construction.
- MagmatechminorConference sponsor providing construction technology solutions for sustainable building.
- MDF OSBminorConference sponsor offering sustainable wood-based panel products for construction.
- NMITEminorConference sponsor - New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering supporting education in sustainable building.
- PartelminorConference sponsor providing building envelope and insulation solutions for sustainable construction.
- RecoupminorConference sponsor focused on plastic recycling and sustainable construction materials.
- SteicominorConference sponsor offering wood fibre insulation and sustainable building materials.
- Passivhaus TrustcoreWholly owned subsidiary of AECB created to promote Passivhaus standard in the UK. The Trust now has over 250 members and was established as AECB's boldest success.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BRE Group: BRE is the UK's largest building research, testing, certification and standards body (BREEAM), with significantly greater scale and resources than AECB. It competes with AECB's CarbonLite standards in the building certification space and represents the broad incumbent that AECB must differentiate against.
- Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): RIBA is the UK's chartered body for architects and a much larger, broader incumbent. While RIBA's scope is architecture rather than sustainable building specifically, it offers CPD, certification and member services that overlap with AECB's offerings for its architect/designer member segment.
- Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB): CIOB is a large chartered body for construction managers and built environment professionals. Its training, CPD and member services overlap with AECB's contractor/tradesperson segment, making it a broad incumbent competing for the same professional members.
- Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE): CIBSE is the chartered engineering body for building services, overlapping with AECB in low-energy building design, building physics and HVAC-related training. It is a broader incumbent with significantly greater resources.
- World Green Building Council: WorldGBC is the global umbrella for national green building councils (including UKGBC) and operates a broader international advocacy and standards agenda. While not a direct UK competitor, it shapes the global standards environment within which AECB operates.
Regional players
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): USGBC operates the LEED rating system and a national green building council in the United States. It is structurally analogous to AECB/UKGBC but serves a different geography, making it a regional peer useful for benchmarking rather than direct competition.
- Green Building Council of Australia: GBCA runs the Green Star rating system and serves as Australia's national sustainable building council. It mirrors AECB's mission and member-network model in a different geography, providing a useful comparable for member-based sustainable building organisations.
Direct peers
- Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA): IEMA is a UK-based membership and professional certification body for environmental practitioners, with a comparable business model to AECB (tiered membership, training courses, professional registers). While its scope spans broader environmental management rather than building specifically, it directly overlaps with AECB's environmental/sustainability training and competency credentialing.
- Passivhaus Institut: Passivhaus Institut is the international body that owns the Passivhaus standard that AECB's Passivhaus Trust subsidiary promotes. The two organisations are deeply interlinked — an AECB trustee chairs the International Passivhaus Affiliates Council — and PHI's standards and PHPP software are foundational to AECB's training and certification offering.
- UK Green Building Council: UKGBC is the UK's principal membership-based sustainable building network with a broadly similar mission to AECB (advancing sustainable building), comparable member ecosystem spanning contractors, architects and local authorities, and similar revenue model (membership tiers, training, events). It is the closest direct peer in the UK sustainable building association space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Association for Environment Conscious Building social profiles
Digital presenceAssociation for Environment Conscious Building compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Association for Environment Conscious Building leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Association for Environment Conscious Building subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Association for Environment Conscious Building funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Association for Environment Conscious Building M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Association for Environment Conscious Building
What does Association for Environment Conscious Building do?
The AECB develops and operates the CarbonLite™ building standards and certification scheme for low-energy, sustainable construction (separate New Build and Retrofit pathways). It sells CarbonLite/Passivhaus software tools (PHPP, designPH, PHribbon, AECB Carbon Calculator), runs a portfolio of paid training courses culminating in a Level 5 Retrofit Coordination Diploma, and underpins everything with a tiered membership network of more than 2,000 professionals and 59 approved certifiers across the UK and Ireland.
Is Association for Environment Conscious Building a public or private company?
Association for Environment Conscious Building is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Association for Environment Conscious Building founded?
Association for Environment Conscious Building was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Association for Environment Conscious Building based?
Association for Environment Conscious Building is headquartered in Barnoldswick, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Association for Environment Conscious Building make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are training Courses, events and Conferences and shop Products.
Who are Association for Environment Conscious Building's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BRE Group, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and World Green Building Council. Regional players are U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Council of Australia. Direct peers are Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA), Passivhaus Institut and UK Green Building Council.
Does Association for Environment Conscious Building have an API?
No public API is recorded for Association for Environment Conscious Building.
What industry is Association for Environment Conscious Building in?
Association for Environment Conscious Building's product category is Sustainable Building Certification and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAGAH, Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes), with a secondary code of EUAHAIAH, EMS Training & Competency Development. Its NAICS code is 541380 and its SIC code is 8734.