DECEMBER 10, 2021

By TERESA MEEK

From HVAC to Cold Case: IoT Powers Retail Energy Management

People flock to big box stores like Costco and Walmart to buy everything from ice cream to iPhones, and like other retailers, the superstores are always looking to ways to streamline operations and cut costs. But when a store is the size of a city block, that’s no easy task. It takes a lot of work—and staff time—to keep HVAC systems, food court ovens, store lighting, and digital displays operating at maximum efficiency. The hundreds of refrigeration and freezer cases add yet another layer of complexity. They need constant monitoring to meet government regulations but adjusting them manually can compromise food safety. What’s more, if a part breaks down, food sales and service come to a sudden halt—irritating customers and slashing profits.


Extending the Digital Transformation Trend in Retail

Inefficient management of energy systems stands out as an anomaly in the retail sector, which is increasingly adopting sophisticated digital solutions for other operations. “Retailers have very mature technology for managing point-of-sale, inventory, and CRM, but they still rely heavily on manual work for back-end systems,” says Vincent Shao, sales manager at Novakon, a subsidiary of industrial computer manufacturer IBASE Technology. A worldwide worker shortage and the subsequent rise in labor costs adds to the problem. “Retailers definitely don’t want to hire additional people to do the back-end facility tracking and monitoring,” Shao says. Retailers have appealed to systems integrators (SIs) for years to find a better way to manage their refrigeration – and to lower costs for back-end systems like heating, air conditioning, and the electrical systems that power everything from lighting, to ovens, to toilets. But finding a workable IoT solution has proved surprisingly elusive...


Full article: 

https://www.insight.tech/retail/from-hvac-to-cold-case-iot-powers-retail-energy-management

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