The Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) has launched the Home Performance Pathway, a new certification scheme designed to assist small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) developers in delivering high-quality, healthy, and environmentally sustainable homes.

The initiative aims to accelerate the national delivery of sustainable housing by enabling SME builders to qualify for lower-cost development finance. This aligns with the government's Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 policy, which targets the delivery of 300,000 homes by 2030 alongside a 51 per cent reduction in emissions.

The certification evaluates projects across several key sustainability metrics, including carbon emissions, water efficiency, biodiversity, and waste management. Furthermore, it assesses health and comfort indicators such as indoor air quality, acoustic comfort, and summer comfort.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD said: "Delivering Homes, Building Communities commits to a range of initiatives to support small to medium construction companies to deliver sustainable housing. I am pleased to see this collaborative approach led by the IGBC with the financial and construction sectors which will enable SME developers and builders to qualify for lower cost development finance, helping to accelerate the delivery of sustainable homes across the country."

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The Home Performance Pathway serves as an entry-level programme for the IGBC's full sustainability standard, the Home Performance Index (HPI), which is already widely utilised for larger housing developments and saw over 3,500 dwellings certified in 2025.

IGBC CEO Pat Barry stated: "The Home Performance Pathway provides an accessible route for smaller homebuilders to start integrating sustainability into their schemes. It encourages them to increase their ambition over time, with support from the IGBC. It will help SME builders to thrive in a future where all finance is dependent on proof of sustainability."

The initiative has received backing from major financial institutions. John Delahunty, head of real estate finance at AIB, noted: "AIB is dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable, energy efficient homes throughout Ireland. The introduction of the Home Performance Pathway is a significant milestone, enabling smaller developers and builders to access affordable green finance while elevating the overall standard of housing delivery."

Brian Gaffney, head of residential and development finance at Bank of Ireland, added: "Bank of Ireland welcomes the introduction of the Home Performance Pathway, and the leadership shown by the Irish Green Building Council in making sustainable construction more accessible for SME builders. Initiatives like this play an important role in helping house builders of all sizes integrate sustainability into their developments, and we are pleased to support efforts that strengthen communities and encourage the building of high quality, energy efficient homes across the country."

David Casey, lending director at Home Building Finance Ireland, said: "HBFI welcomes the launch of the IGBC's Home Performance Pathway noting that it encourages SME and small homebuilders to put sustainability at the heart of their developments, while delivering much needed higher quality homes to their customers."