Mississauga, Ont. – February 20, 2018 – Schneider Electric Canada, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced a new partnership with Ryerson University, donating $1 million in kind to design and build the new Smart Building Analytics Living Lab — the first of its kind in Canada.

With the new lab, Ryerson University students in engineering, architectural science, and computer and data science programs will have access to tools to develop, test, and optimize modern technologies and approaches within the building management space. The lab will be used to demonstrate savings in energy consumption and in capital and operating expenses for buildings of all sizes.

“Our partnership with Ryerson University and the building of the Smart Building Analytics Living Lab reflects the need for advancement of data analytics and the use of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to lower energy use in urban areas by providing higher building efficiencies,” says Juan Macias, Senior Vice President, Digital Energy Solutions / Prosumer at Schneider Electric. “The research done here will benefit buildings and their owners in Canada and throughout the world. We are proud to be partners with Ryerson University on such an important initiative.”

As Canada seeks to achieve increasingly ambitious energy- and carbon-reduction goals in alignment with the COP21 outcomes, the laboratory will assist with increasing knowledge and experience in key areas including:

• Improved understanding of emerging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
• Optimization and performance improvement of existing HVAC systems
• New data analytics algorithms, predictive models, and machine learning approaches to support building performance improvement in real-time, considering both human effects as well as environmental conditions

The Smart Building Analytics Living Lab will be used as a direct connection into the real world of building management systems and energy management. From the facility, the Ryerson team will connect to building control systems using Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Building software platform, including access control, lighting control, security, energy and HVAC systems.

“The convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology means bringing together applications and devices in innovative ways, and tying together systems that have primarily operated in isolation,” said Susan Uthayakumar, Country President, Canada, Schneider Electric. “Along with growth in numbers of devices and increased functionality, bringing these systems together introduces integration on a new scale. The Ryerson lab is a great forum to test these new integration possibilities.”

By introducing innovative technologies and integrating the IoT into new and existing designs, both Schneider Electric and Ryerson University will be able to test these new technologies in real time and apply solutions to the real world.

“The new Ryerson University Smart Building Analytics Living Lab will be a one-of-a-kind space for our faculty and students. Using the latest data analytics and IoT technologies, it will help them understand energy use in buildings like never before,” says Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor of Ryerson University. “The lab will become a powerful tool in helping to reduce energy use in urban areas and combat climate change here in Canada and around the world. We are glad to work with Schneider Electric in this endeavour and look forward to what we can accomplish together.”

The laboratory will be located at Ryerson’s 111 Bond St. building in Toronto and is expected to open late 2019.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centres, Infrastructure and Industries.

With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management – Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software.

In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency.

We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment.