Bedes

Bedes, also written BEDES, stands for Building Energy Data Exchange Specification, a standardized data dictionary and schema designed to describe building energy information and to enable consistent data exchange across tools, programs, and organizations involved in energy efficiency and building performance. It provides a controlled vocabulary and a set of data elements that cover building characteristics, energy meters and use, weather, and related financials.

Developed through collaboration among the U.S. Department of Energy, industry stakeholders, and public-sector partners, BEDES offers a structured model that describes buildings, their properties (such as floor area, year built, and location), energy meters and energy use, energy sources, and economic data like utility rates and energy costs. It also includes guidance on data relationships, formats, and recommended values to promote interoperability among disparate systems.

BEDES is used to facilitate data exchanges between energy management software, benchmarking platforms, building audit tools, and portfolio management systems. By standardizing terms and definitions, it aims to reduce data translation errors and help users compare performance across buildings and programs.

Adoption varies by region and program, but BEDES has been integrated into federal and state energy initiatives, utility programs, and industry data dictionaries as a common reference. The standard is maintained and updated to reflect evolving data needs and feedback from its user community, supporting more efficient data sharing and analytics in the building sector.