Webinar: Home User Guide Template

The way a home is designed, built and operated has a direct impact on energy use, comfort and wellbeing. As new technologies and building systems become increasingly sophisticated, clear information is essential to help homeowners and tenants understand how to use and maintain their homes effectively.

Irish Green Building Council and Healthy Homes Ireland, are delighted to invite you to a webinar on how the Home User Guide Template can improve communications with homeowners and tenants about the use and maintenance of systems such as heating, ventilation and renewable energy technologies in their new or retrofitted homes.

Written in plain English, the template helps residents understand and confidently operate their homes, supporting efficient use while maximising comfort and wellbeing.

What You’ll Learn

The session will explore:

• What the Home User Guide Template is and how it can support better communication with homeowners and tenants.
• How the template can help residents understand and operate systems such as heating, ventilation and renewable energy technologies.
• How organisations can adapt the template to suit their own needs.
• How clearer information can support energy efficiency, comfort and wellbeing.
• An opportunity to ask questions and discuss how the template can be applied in practice.

About the Home User Guide Template

The Home User Guide Template was developed by the IGBC as part of a project funded by Construct Innovate and Cairn Homes.

The template is designed to provide a practical and adaptable approach to communicating essential information about a home to its occupants. It aligns with the standards and recommendations set out in the Home Performance Index Technical Manual.

Speakers

John Fingleton, Certification Programme Manager, Irish Green Building Council

John leads the Home Performance Index certification programme at IGBC, as well as the organisation’s work on climate adaptation. An architect by training, he is a LEED Accredited Professional in ID+C and BD+C and holds a Master’s in Low Energy Building Design.

Fernanda Rocha, Project Manager, Irish Green Building Council

Fernanda is a civil engineer with international experience and the main author of the Home User Guide Template. She supports the Home Performance Index certification programme and leads initiatives advancing circularity and resource efficiency across the construction sector. She holds an MSc from the Technical University of Munich, specialising in Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Sustainable Transport Planning.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is particularly relevant to:

• Home builders and developers
• One-stop-shops and retrofit providers
• Approved housing bodies
• Local authorities
• Housing providers and professionals involved in delivering new or retrofitted homes

Why Attend?

Clear and accessible information can make it easier for residents to understand their homes and use building systems as intended.

This webinar provides an opportunity to learn how the Home User Guide Template can be incorporated into your organisation’s processes and adapted to support better communication with residents.

The session will include a 30-minute presentation followed by approximately 15–20 minutes of Q&A and discussion.

Register Now

Join IGBC and Healthy Homes Ireland to explore the Home User Guide Template and discover how it can help residents confidently understand, operate and maintain their homes.

For further information, contact [email protected].

About Healthy Homes Ireland

Healthy Homes Ireland is an initiative supported by IGBC and VELUX, established to raise awareness of the relationship between healthy living environments and overall health in Ireland. The Home User Guide Template delivers on a recommendation from the Healthy Homes Ireland 2023 report, Towards Healthier Greener Homes.