Home Performance Index (HPI) Certification
Independent, third-party certification for new residential developments in Ireland — aligned with the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and managed by the Irish Green Building Council.
What is the Home Performance Index?
Home Performance Index (HPI) is Ireland's national certification system for new residential developments. Managed by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), it fills the same role for homes that LEED and BREEAM play for commercial buildings — but is tailored to Irish building regulations and aligned with the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, the Level(s) framework, and WELL for communities.
HPI has been recognised by the European Construction Sector Observatory with a 5 out of 5 rating for best practice and transparency, establishing it as a credible, independent green home label for developers, lenders, investors, and homebuyers.
What We Deliver
- HPI and Gold HPI certification pathways
- Assessment against 30+ verifiable indicators
- Environment, Health & Wellbeing, Economics, Quality Assurance and Sustainable Location categories
- EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy alignment
- Level(s) framework and WELL Communities alignment
- Design-stage and post-construction verification
Why Choose HPI?
- Credible third-party green home label for lenders and investors
- Differentiate new developments on quality and sustainability
- Meet EU Taxonomy and green finance eligibility criteria
- Provide homebuyers with verified sustainability credentials
- Identify design improvements early, before construction
HPI or Gold HPI?
Developments achieve either HPI or Gold HPI certification by passing mandatory credits in key indicators and meeting an overall scoring threshold. Gold HPI requires stronger performance across all five categories and signals best-in-class residential sustainability.
Discuss your target ratingOver 30 Indicators Across Five Categories
HPI assesses new residential developments against more than 30 verifiable indicators, grouped into the five categories below. Each category contributes to the overall HPI or Gold HPI certification outcome.
Environment
Land use, biodiversity, water efficiency, embodied and operational energy, and responsible material sourcing across the development.
Health & Wellbeing
Daylight, indoor air quality, acoustic comfort, and walkability — the factors that shape how occupants actually live in the homes.
Economics
Long-term running costs for occupants — energy, transport — plus property value stability and adaptive capacity over time.
Quality Assurance
Design and construction team competency, airtightness testing, and verification that what is built matches what was designed.
Sustainable Location
Proximity to schools, shops, employment and public transport, plus site-specific risks such as flooding.
How HPI Assessment Works
From early design review through to certification by the Irish Green Building Council
Initial Consultation
We review the development, target certification level, and HPI indicators relevant to your scheme.
Design Stage Assessment
We evaluate the design against HPI indicators across all five categories and flag gaps early.
Evidence Collection
We gather supporting documentation — specifications, drawings, test results, and supplier data.
Construction Verification
Post-construction checks including airtightness results and verification that the build matches the design.
Certification
Final submission to the Irish Green Building Council for HPI or Gold HPI certification.
Home Performance Index FAQs
Home Performance Index (HPI) is Ireland's national certification system for new residential developments, managed by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC). It assesses homes against over 30 verifiable indicators across five categories — Environment, Health & Wellbeing, Economics, Quality Assurance, and Sustainable Location — and is aligned with the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, the Level(s) framework, and the international WELL certification for communities.
HPI is aimed at developers, housebuilders, local authorities, and approved housing bodies delivering new residential schemes in Ireland. It provides a credible green home label for lenders, investors, and homebuyers, and helps developments meet EU Taxonomy green finance eligibility criteria.
Developments are certified as either HPI or Gold HPI depending on performance. Both require passing mandatory credits in key indicators, with Gold HPI demanding a higher overall score and stronger performance across the Environment, Health & Wellbeing, Economics, Quality Assurance, and Sustainable Location categories.
BER measures operational energy performance on an A–G scale. HPI is much broader — it assesses sustainability, health, quality, and location in addition to energy, and it is explicitly aligned with the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. A BER is one input into an HPI assessment, and HPI provides the wider evidence base that investors and lenders increasingly require.
Ideally at design stage. Many HPI indicators — particularly around location, site selection, materials, daylight, and acoustics — are difficult or expensive to address after design is fixed. Early engagement lets us flag gaps before they become costly and gives the project the best chance of achieving Gold HPI.
HPI is managed and reviewed by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), a non-profit membership organisation with over 200 members drawn from academia, architecture, engineering, construction, and the environmental sector. HPI has been recognised by the European Construction Sector Observatory with a 5 out of 5 rating for best practice and transparency.
Planning a New Residential Development?
Engage us early and we'll help you target HPI or Gold HPI certification from the design stage.