On Friday 10th of June, the Irish Green Building Council hosted a webinar on the Home Performance Index and the changes being made to it for Version 3, which will be launched in September. The purpose of the webinar was to be the start of the first stage of external consultation, currently underway for Version 3.
The changes discussed were how the Home Performance Index will align with EU Taxonomy and setting out the requirements for what is required for new construction projects to be EU taxonomy compliant. Alignment with EU Taxonomy in version 3 of HPI will be met by 11 of the revised 35 indicators. The most significant change is made for Energy in Use with 10% improvement on NZEB becoming a minimum requirement. Other changes for alignment with EU taxonomy include:
- Whole Life Carbon Assessments for developments over 5,000 sqm
- Introduction of a Resource and Waste Management Plan
- Two new sub-indicators: Design for Disassembly and Design for Adaptability
- A new Climate Risk indicator which replaces the Flood Risk one for a more comprehensive assessment of potential climate risks
- Minor changes to Land Use, Construction team skills, and Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Since the webinar, a draft of Version 3 has been sent out to external consultants, with feedback sessions scheduled for Friday the 24th and Monday the 27th of June.