May 22, 2019At the recent Apas Show 2019 event in São Paulo, from the Paulista Supermarkets Association (Apas),
Sensormatic Solutions (owned by Johnson Controls) presented a solution that it says can reduce the consumption of electricity at supermarkets. According to the company, this is a customized and lower-cost version of its Metasys building-automation system, intended specifically for retailers.
The technology provider promises savings in energy consumption thanks to the system, which integrates heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); lighting; and security protection. "By centralizing this information and making it available for a fully shared management, one enters into the concept of the IoT and mass data that integrates with all other systems," says Sérgio Thomé, Sensormatic's commercial director.
With the goal of helping control environmental economics, Metasys contains software that monitors lighting, air conditioning and security technologies. The solution was formatted for the management of resources, such as energy and water, and for automating the operation of systems in order to keep the environment comfortable, economical and sustainable.
"The solution is based on four layers: peripherals, controls, managers and server," Thomé explains. "Peripherals contain all sensors, thermostats, pressure switches, water flow or pressure control." The system collects all the information that the peripherals make available and transforms it into usable data, which is then provided to managers.
The technology has already been adopted by several large companies in the United States and Europe, according to Thomé. "In addition to reducing electricity consumption, it also decreases water consumption by up to 40 percent," he says. "The system improves the value of property in which it is installed, and offers financial benefits derived from green certifications."
At the event, the technology was demonstrated by being integrated with the company's booth lighting. "We wanted to show the benefits of deploying Metasys to retailers," Thomé states. "Such a deployment can control the climate of an environment, generating savings in energy consumption."
In addition, Sensormatic outlined how the system can be integrated with refrigerators. The solution can interact with customers by, for example, providing the caloric value of particular products, as well as offering statistical data to retailers, including how many times a refrigerator door has been opened, how many items have been selected and if any item breakage has occurred. Metasys can also monitor a fridge's temperature. "A supermarket can complete the management of frozen products" by utilizing the technology, Thomé says.
