Why should I demand a Home Performance Index certified home?
A certified Home Performance Index home gives you assurance that the home builder has considered how the design and construction of your home, will impact your wellbeing, reduce your costs, and at the same time protect the environment. The certificate is awarded based on verifiable indicators of quality.
What does the Home Performance Index assess?
The Home Performance Index considers the performance of your home under three categories.
Costs
It considers the costs associated with living in the home such as heating, future proofing against water charges, and the lower transport costs associated with a well located home. It also considers the future flexibility of the home to meet your needs over your lifetime.
Wellbeing
This considers the impact of the home on your wellbeing in the home. It considers the indoor air quality, the levels of daylight, the comfort levels and how well the home is sound proofed from your neighbours. It also considers how the location will enable you and your family to live an active healthy lifestyle.
Our Planet
It considers how the home helps reduce your family’s ecological footprint. This includes carbon emissions from the home, water consumption of the bathroom and kitchen fittings, the use of more eco friendly construction materials, sensible use of land, how the development helps improve the local ecology, reduce flood risk and pollution in the locality.
I want more detail about how these are assessed?
If you want to know exactly how we certify and assess homes you can download the technical manual that we provide to the home builder and their design professionals, architects and contractors. This sets out all the criteria that we consider in awarding certification and the exact performance indicators that we demand.
Who has developed the Home Performance Index?
The Home Performance Index has been developed by the Irish Green Building Council. The Irish Green Building Council is a non profit membership organisation dedicated to providing leadership in the transition to a sustainable built environment which provides a better quality of life for all. It is an established member of the World Green Building Council.
Where can I purchase or rent a Home Performance Index certified home?
You can find a list of registered developments which have either achieved certification or are seeking certification under the Home Performance Index here.
Check back as we are currently certifying more quality developments, and will be adding more as these become available. Ask your local home builder to make sure their new housing is certified, because if you want better quality housing, you must demand it!
