The EU Member States are in the process of implementing energy rating procedures for buildings. For non-domestic buildings in particular, devising a robust and cost effective energy rating method is not a simple task. The situation becomes more complicated where countries do not have a tradition of performing energy calculations or undertaking energy measurements in buildings. This paper outlines a methodology to develop energy benchmarks and rating systems starting from the very first step of data collection from the building stock. Methods for rating a sample Irish school according to both calculated and measured ratings are applied, and finally the paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.