The Green Party is seeking to use €500 million from the National Pension Reserve Fund to retrofit 100,000 premises every year, leading to the insulation of one million homes by 2020, and the creation of 25,000 new jobs.
If the Greens are part of the next government, they also plan to hold a referendum on establishing a citizens' assembly, which would be tasked with drawing up a new draft constitution within 18 months.
On education, the Greens want to retain the existing pupil teacher ratio in primary and secondary schools. The party also wants to roll out a strategy to set Ireland on the road to being an oil-free economy by 2030.
These are among the proposals in the party's election manifesto, Renewing Ireland, unveiled at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin this afternoon.
"Voters across the country are demanding fundamental change - but delivering that change will require honesty and ambition," according to Green Party leader John Gormley.
The new constitution advocated by the party would “be written by the people themselves through a directly elected people's assembly tasked with that job".
The renewal process proposed by the Greens includes "a renewed economy to restore prosperity and independence; renewed systems of governance to ensure fair and efficient banks; and renewed political structures to serve the modern Ireland".
The Greens claim to be "the only party which had planned for an economy with jobs not dependent on the boom-bust property bubble".
"Over the last three and a half years some 20,000 green economy jobs - in home insulation, in energy generation and in information technology - have been created, and there are now advanced plans to create 100,000 similar jobs over the coming decade,” according to the Green leader.
The Greens argue their work in government in fostering wind and wave power must continue and that Ireland has the potential to free itself from dependence on increasingly scarce and expensive imported oil by 2030.
"We are also the only party committed to delivering a pragmatic strategy to deal with the effects of climate change. We are also the only party committed to long-term investment in projects like Metro North and the Dart Interconnector in the greater Dublin area," the party leader said.
Work on restructuring and reforming banks must also continue, while new constitution offered an opportunity to drive real reform far more than slogans about change, the party said.
It is advocating reducing Dáil numbers to 120 TDs, from the current 166. Half of these would be elected through a list system to ensure a "more representative parliament, including more women members and TDs with specific expertise".
The party also proposes a new system of regional and local government with power given back to people as close to their home community as possible.
Referring to same-sex couples, Mr Gormley said: "We are extremely proud of enacting civil partnerships but we are committed to full marriage rights for same sex couples."
Other measures to promote greater equality in society would include more changes to welfare to help people work, and a micro tax (usually called a Tobin tax) on financial transactions that could fund social projects.
"Talking about 'change' will not end nod-and-wink deals between councillors and property developers. Talk about 'change' will not stop building apartment blocks on flood plains. Talk about change will not deliver reformed political institutions," Mr Gormley said.
"The Green Party has a proven track record of delivery, and our manifesto for the next five years is full of vital, progressive ideas about renewing our nation, which we are proud to put in front of the Irish people," Mr Gormley added.
