Circular logo with a white background and an orange border. Inside, three stylized houses with chimneys are aligned horizontally. Below the houses is a bold orange banner with the acronym “HPI” in white letters. Surrounding the top of the circle, separated by dots, are the words “HOME,” “PERFORMANCE,” and “INDEX.”

Home Performance Index

15 December 2017

At Varming Consulting Engineers, we are involved in all aspects of sustainable building design and have been working with the Irish construction industry since 1946. As part of our ongoing mission to educate on the latest concepts emerging in the field, we look now at the development certification that is the Home Performance Index.

So, what is it?

The Home Performance Index (HPI) is the first of its kind in Irish residential construction and it is a certification and a mark of quality based on certain determining factors and a guarantee that the designers, m & e engineers and architects have created a home, as opposed to just a house.

For Homebuyers, HPI provides an assurance that their hard earned capital is being invested in quality and for home builders, it enables the demonstration of the high quality of the homes they are building.

What’s Involved?

HPI takes many factors into consideration, including:

The Wellbeing of the occupants of the property. It is a gauge of how comfortable it is, how much daylight naturally enters and the quality of air inside.

The costs incurred whilst living in the home. Be it energy use, water consumption or transportation links, this is all taken into account.

The ecological footprint and impact on the local environment of the property is evaluated and incorporated into the overall decision to award or not to award certification..

Essentially, if you are house hunting in Ireland and identify a property that fits the bill, then having an HPI certification is something that should guarantee that no nasty surprises are lurking down the road and that the home you choose is both fit for purpose and efficient in its use of resources.

If you would like to know more about HPI or any other aspect of modern engineering in construction in Ireland, call us today on 01 4872300 or visit our website on www.varming.ie for more details and examples of our portfolio of work in the field of sustainable design.