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The Home Performance Index label was developed by the IGBC after extensive research and consultation with the industry to encourage quality and excellence in the development of new homes. The HPI certificate demonstrates that the home has been designed and constructed with care to ensure low running costs, enhance the health and wellbeing of the occupants and minimise environmental impacts.

The certificate was presented to Dublin City Council on 6 October by minister for housing, planning and local government Simon Coveney TD, and Pat Barry, CEO of the Irish Green Building Council.

Pat Barry stated. “We are delighted to award the first certificate to Dublin City Council for social housing, as this demonstrates sustainability is about skills, choices and design and not about additional cost.” Mr Barry added: “It is important that we are all working to a quality sustainability standard for new housing in order to protect home buyers and the environment. This also demonstrates that sustainable housing has a role to play in enabling active, healthy communities.”

Meanwhile Minister Coveney said: “Energy efficiency should be at the heart of all our building projects. It is important that we build all our social housing to the same quality in terms of energy efficiency and design as we saw here this morning.”

Sustainability labelling schemes such as HPI have become increasingly important for banks when assessing mortgage default risk, with the European Mortgage Federation recently announcing the intention to develop a green mortgage product which could allow Irish banks to offer discounted mortgages to homebuyers of certified green homes.

A number of leading Irish developers are currently vying to bring the first privately built HPI certified homes to the market.