### ICE 59 ECM PRESS KIT Page 2 of 7 

# News from

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 19, 2007

For further information, contact: Bob Floyd Floyd & Partners

260-469-3090 bob@floydandpartners.com

GE ECM by Regal-Beloit announces the ECM ICETM 59 Evaporator Fan Motor for Commercial Refrigeration: The industry's first smart motor offering up to 65% greater efficiency.

May 19, 2007 --National Restaurant Association Show 2007 --GE ECM by REGALBELOIT has unveiled the next generation of it s high-efficiency commercial refrigeration evaporator-fan motors, the ICE 59 , which offers up to 65% greater efficiency than a shaded-pole motor, and up to 40% greater efficiency than a PSC motor. Designed specifically for evaporator-fan use in walk-in coolers and freezers, the 1/15 HP motor is a form-fitting, drop-in replacement for typical 3.3-inch motors.

“The ICE 59 takes 20 years’ worth of ex perience in designi ng and refining ECM technology, and combines it with engineeri ng solutions for the unique needs of commercial refrigeration,” says Tim Neal, Industry Leader for Commercial Refrigeration at GE ECM by Regal-Beloit. “The result is a motor that is more efficient, has better heat control, and offers intelligent features that give engineers better options in equipment design.”

Unmatched Efficiency The key to the ICE 59’s high efficiency is its brushless-DC, permanent-magnet design, which is inherently more e fficient than the shaded-pole and PSC designs found in many commercial-refrigeration systems (please see the enclosed Motor Comparison Chart for details).

Induction motors only maintain peak effici ency when running at rated speed and a bestcase-scenario workload. The ICE 59, on the other hand, uses almost one third of the electricity needed by a shaded-pole motor, ev en at the induction motor’s design speed. The new motor also maintains its high efficiency across a wide operating range, meaning that the motor consumes even less el ectricity when running at slower speeds.

For example, a manufacturer can program the ICE 59 to lower its speed whenever highvolume air movement is unnecessary, such as during the defrost cycle or in an overnight setting when traffic in and out of the walk-in cooler or freezer is minimal. In these secondary cycles, the already-efficient ICE 59 uses even less electricity.

### ICE 59 ECM PRESS KIT Page 3 of 7 According to the U.S. Department of Energy 1 , the best way to save money in any walkin cooler or freezer is to cut energy costs by replacing shaded-pole motors with more

efficient ECMs like the ICE 59. This is due in part to the natural efficiency of an ECM, but temperature control also plays an important part in the energy equation.

Here’s how it works: instead of a wound rotor, the ICE 59 uses permanent magnets and therefore the motor does not have to induce the magnetic field which results in higher efficiency and allows it to run cooler and mo re quietly. In contrast, induction motors are plagued with heat losses when they induce curr ent across the air gap between the rotor

and stator.

An inefficient motor causes more than its ow n fair share of problems. Heat loss, for example, acts as a “double” i nefficiency: it raises energy use in the motor, but it also adds to the total amount of heat that must be removed by the refrigerator. Despite the fact that a typical shaded-pole evaporator fan uses less electricity than other refrigerator parts, its heat output creates a domino effect that makes the entire system less efficient.

“Says Neal, “For every extra BTU of heat generated by an induction motor, the entire refrigeration cycle gets longer, the compressor is given more work, and more stress is put on the equipment overall.”

Green for the Environment, Green for the Wallet When retrofitting shaded-pole motors, ECMs can have a payback in as little as six months of its 10-year expected lifespan. Since lower operating costs come back to businesses directly as profit, it’s not surprising that many restaurant and grocery-store owners are installing GE ECM refrigeration motors to existing equipment.

“We have been seeing some businesses even retrofit brand new equipment with more efficient ECM motors,” says Neal. “It makes good financial sense, and more and more businesses make the change in order to show their customers a corporate commitment to more environmentally friendly green technologies.”

Governments and utilities are beginning to take interest as well. Many municipalities offer tax incentives to those who buy ECMs, and many energy providers have rebate programs for businesses that make the switch.

In Washington, Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and California, laws that require ECM have already been passed. In Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, and several Canadian provinces legislation has been proposed. For example, the California Energy Commission recently passed legislation that requires all new walk-in refrigerators and freezers to have ECM evaporator fans by January 2008.

1 Energy Savings Potential for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment , section 1-2, available online at http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/documents/pdfs/comm_refridg_equip.pdf

### ICE 59 ECM PRESS KIT Page 4 of 7 “The need for energy conservation isn’t going away any time soon,” says Neal. “With ever-rising government efficiency standards, continually rising costs for electricity, expanding consumer demand for businesses to become more eco-friendly, we expect that ECM will completely replace induction motors in new walk-in coolers and freezers by the year 2010.”

Improved Reliability The ICE 59 offers many features that ensure reliability, both within the motor and in the refrigeration system as a whole. For example, the motor’s ability to contribute less heat into the refrigeration cycle means better long-term equipment reliability because there is less stress on all of the system components.

Another way that ICE 59 improves whole- system performance is its regulated speed mode. The motor monitors changes in the refrigerator environment (such as external pressure changes caused by opening and closing the cooler doors, or changes to line voltage on the motor input) and adjusts in order to deliver the programmed fan speed.

Consistent fan speed means that walk-in refrigerators maintain more even temperatures, which is vital to ensuring fres her, longer-lasting per ishables. The ICE 59 has an improved mechanical platform that addresses the ever-present threat of moisture. All electronic motor controls in the ICE 59 are completely surrounded by waterproof potting material, which protects all sensitive parts of the motor.

Another potential problem for any refrigeration motor is that external parts can get coated in ice, which can cause a lock-up even after the system defrost cycle. The ICE

59 utilizes an internal rotor construction, whic h protects all moving parts from freezing.

The ICE 59’s robust electronics allow the motor to operate trouble-free in the event of most power irregularities. ICE 59 is the first smart ECM of its size to have earned both UL and CSA recognition, and the motor is also fully compliant with the European

Union’s RoHS Directive.

Smart Motor Features “Over the past 20 years, ECM technology has already revoluti onized what equipment can accomplish in terms of energy efficiency, but there has never been a smart motor available in refrigeration – until now,” says Neal. “The ICE 59 opens up a new realm of possibilities to manufacturers by offering them an intelligent motor with premium

features.”

The ICE 59 is the first motor in the commercial refrigeration industry to offer premium, smart-motor features to manufacturers. Three major advances distinguish the ICE 59 motor from standard ECM products: BlaKBoxTM Diagnostics, a wide range of operating speeds, and the GE ECM Toolbox development software.

### ICE 59 ECM PRESS KIT Page 5 of 7 The ICE 59 is the first commercial refrigeration motor to employ BlaKBoxTM diagnostics, a built-in data recorder that provides design engineers with the information they need to improve equipment features and performance.

“BlaKBox is going to revolutionize the reliability of refrigeration systems throughout the industry,” explains Neal. “Like a flight-recorder in an airplane, BlaKBox will allow us to capture crucial field performance data. This unprecedented access to field history will help system designers create more efficient next-generation technologies and equipment that is more reliable.”

GE ECM by Regal Beloit provides all manufacturers with a full suite of development software for customizing ICE 59 motor settings. The GE ECM Toolbox software allows system designers to create motor programming quickly and easily in a Windows-based, real-time, dynamic environment. Developers can also use the tool to test and verify motor performance based on the programming they have created.

Just as in conventional motors, all ECMs can be controlled by a simple line-voltage input, giving the motor a plug-and-play installation capability. However, the ICE 59’s smart motor capabilities also give manufacturers the chance to add multiple-speed settings to their equipment, without sacrificing the motor’s high level of efficiency.

In addition to a pre-determined speed controlled by line voltage, manufacturers have theoption of running at a second discrete speed by modifying line voltage – an easy-toimplement multiple speed solution. The ICE 59 can also be run from a pulse-width modulation (PWM) input, which lets the motor change speeds in real-time between 500

and 1800 RPM.

The ICE 59 has been built from the ground-up to be easy to use, whether for a contractor replacing an existing motor in the field or an engineer remodeling refrigeration equipment. By offering a form-fitting 3.3-inch configuration and accepting both line-voltage and PWM, the ICE 59 allows a manufacturer to quickly and easily adapt existing equipment to ECM technology. In most cases, system designers will be able to simply plug the motor in and go. For contractors working with the ICE 59 in retrofit applications, the motor is an easy-to-install drop-in solution. It does not require any dipswitch settings or adjustment terminal configurations and is configured to be mounted in any position without using external adapters.

For more information about the ICE 59 ECM, visit: www.theDealerToolbox.com.

GE ECM by REGAL-BELOIT is the residential HVAC industry leader in ECM technology. REGAL-BELOIT CORPORATION (NYSE:RBC) is a leading manufacturer of mechanical and electrical motion control and power generation products serving markets throughout the world. REGAL-BELOIT is headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.theDealerToolbox.com

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