Development of energy performance benchmarks and building energy ratings for non-domestic buildings: An example for Irish primary schools

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.