Richard Ellam, founder of Pivot Developments, (pictured above, right) and Laura Ellam (pictured above, left), director at Pivot Developments, met on a Scottish oil rig and spent two decades working in the oil and gas industry.

Leveraging their experience in engineering and technology, they set up Pivot Developments in 2020 to create low carbon, energy-efficient homes.

The homes are designed to include energy and technology-led solutions that reduce operational carbon use, making them at least 50% more energy efficient than the average UK home.

Pivot Developments has secured a £1.2m loan from Close Brothers Property Finance to fund their maiden multi-unit development project in Copthorne, West Sussex.

Grouse Grange is a collection of four houses that utilise green technology, such as air heat recovery systems with 93% efficiency, immersion diverter switches which enable users to heat water from unused Solar PV energy and Zappi adaptive car charters, that can take power from the grid, solar or a combination.

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The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) reports for the development, awarded the properties an EPC ‘A’ rating. They scored 98% in Energy Efficiency and 98% in Environmental Impact.

Rowland Thomas, managing director at Close Brothers Property Finance, commented: “Richard and Laura are at the forefront of sustainable development innovation, applying the skills they have gleaned from their time in the oil and gas industry to deliver homes that aren’t reliant on fossil fuels.

“For Close Brothers, it’s imperative that we support our SME housebuilder clients to deliver high-quality sustainable housing.

“Not only is this type of technology beneficial for the environment, but these are future-proofed properties that embody innovation and will be cheaper to run over the long term, and thus have great consumer appeal.”

Richard said: “Our background in fossil fuels has given us the detailed understanding of how to build in a low carbon way - I really feel like we can come full circle.

“In a challenging time economically it’s been fantastic to have the support of Close Brothers Property Finance, who understand the value of energy saving technology and have helped us to make our vision for Grouse Grange a reality.”