A number of developers have taken part in a new scheme to look at a wider range of issues that impact the quality and sustainability of new residential construction.

Castlethorn, MKN Group, Dublin City Council and Cluid Housing Association participated in the labeling scheme, launched by the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC).

The label called the Home Performance Index (HPI) also assesses the water efficiency of the home, the indoor air quality, the quality of day lighting, the impacts of the construction materials used and the ecological impact of the development. It also looks at how close the homes are to schools, shops and other services by walking and cycling together with the availability of public transport and flood risk.

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Pat Barry Executive director of the Irish Green Building Council: "Over the past two years we have seen a big uptake by commercial developers using sustainability certification schemes such as BREEAM and LEED for their new office development. There is now an appetite from the quality builders to implement the same best practice on their residential development.

"Internationally banks are starting to encourage this type of labeling as their experience shows that it de-risks lending to both the developer and to the homebuyer. A certified home is a pretty good indicator of the quality of the development. It adds to the home's asset value and generally mean reduced energy, water and transport costs for the homebuyer and therefore reduced risk of mortgage defaults."

(CD)