Home User Guide
Easy to understand Home User Guide for home occupants to operate and maintain their homes more efficiently.
Project description
The delivery of a Home User Guide Template and Best Practice provides quality information to home buyers and occupants on how to best manage their homes to reduce the environmental impact during the operation of the home, and ensure that integrated systems, such as heating and ventilation, are maintained and run correctly.
The provision of a best practice and high-quality Home User Guide by homebuilders to occupants is an identified gap in current practice through IGBC’s certification Home Performance Index (HPI) where it is included as an indicator. The Home User Guide and Best Practice met the requirements as stated in the Home Performance Index Manual. This is directly applicable to the 20,000+ homes currently registered for HPI Certification and also the wider new build sector. The Home User Guide will also be suitable for use on energy renovated homes, for example, by One Stop shops.
Goal
- Develop a standardised Home User Guide template to the industry to be used during home delivery
- Provide a standard template that is both easy to understand and non-technical information for occupants
- Occupants are not being provided with a sufficient level of information on how their homes are designed to function, how they need to be operated and how they need to be maintained.
Timeline
Published in 2025.
Partners
Who Was Involved?
IGBC Team
Who Works On This?
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John Fingleton
John joined IGBC in 2019 to manage the Home Performance Index (HPI) Certification. An architect with experience across Ireland, England, Spain and the US, he holds a Masters in Low Energy Building Design and previously worked in the sustainability team at Ethos Engineering. At IGBC, John leads the delivery of the national and European projects, the HPI certification programme and our work on climate adaptation. John is a LEED Accredited Professional in ID+C and BD+C. -
Fernanda Rocha
Fernanda joined IGBC in 2024 working on the Home Performance Index (HPI) Certification. A civil engineer with an MSc from the Technical University of Munich, she specialised in Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Sustainable Transport Planning. Previously a Sustainability Consultant and Project Manager in Amsterdam, Fernanda brings expertise in embodied carbon reduction, life cycle assessment and circular economy in the built environment. Fernanda administrate the EPD Ireland programme and lead circularity projects.
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How to Get Involved
This project is completed. If you have any questions about this project, please contact John.
