May 3, 2007  The City of Victorville and Ice Energy Inc. today announced that a pioneering peak reduction program implemented by Ice Energy for the City has won California’s prestigious Flex Your Power Award. Honored in the “Demand Response” category, the Victorville program is one of 41 winners selected from several hundred applicants for its outstanding leadership in energy efficiency. Cumulatively, last year’s award winners and this year’s award winners have saved more than $172 million, a billion kilowatt hours and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing almost 85,000 cars from the road. Victorville will accept the award at the 5^th Annual Flex Your Power Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 5, at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center.

On any given day, air conditioning (AC) accounts for one-third of the total electricity demand on the nation’s strained power grid, and on hot days causes blackouts and puts less efficient, more polluting power generation into use.  Demonstrating its leadership position in addressing the problem, Victorville has worked with Ice Energy to implement a city-wide roll out of the company’s Ice Bear^® product, an ice storage air-conditioning technology that combats peak demand stress caused by AC use. To date the award-winning project has resulted in the implementation of 31 Ice Bear units, including retrofit installation in the new city hall, 3 fire stations, a police station, a recreation center, a senior activities center, a golf shop, and other city owned buildings. The Ice Bear unit implementation enabled Victorville to slash peak electricity demand, manage energy costs, and improve its environmental footprint without compromising the cool comfort of its employees and community.

“This is wonderful news for Victorville,” said Mayor Terry Caldwell.  “We are known for being a pro-business city, but that is in no way meant to come at the expense of the environment.  Receiving this award demonstrates that a city can be both pro-business and pro-environment.  To that end, we adopted a resolution in 2005 to purchase and install permanent load shifting technology from Ice Energy on all applicable city buildings.”

Caldwell continued, “As outstanding as it is to receive this award, we have only just begun.  We are working on many more projects that will make Victorville one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly cities in the United States.  This City is absolutely committed to being at the forefront of the effort to protect our environment.” 

Ice Energy’s Ice Bear unit is a simple add-on to standard AC systems found on most light commercial buildings. The turnkey module uses off-peak electricity to make and store ice at night when electricity is cleaner and more plentiful.  During the day, the system uses the stored ice rather than mid-day electrical power to chill the AC refrigerant. Efficiently shifting over 90 percent of AC electricity consumption, the system is able to provide immediate and efficient cooling for the building through the hottest hours of the day. By shifting energy consumption to off-peak hours, Ice Energy estimates that Victorville’s 31 Ice Bear units will reduce CO² emissions by 335 tons and reduce NO_X emissions by 985 lbs over the next five years.

“Victorville’s proposed city-wide roll out of our Ice Bear product was the first program of its kind. We are proud to be a part of the city’s aggressive – and now award-winning – efforts to address California's growing peak power problem,” said Frank Ramirez, CEO of Ice Energy.  “We look forward to continuing the pioneering program at Victorville as well as supporting additional communities throughout California and the country in their efforts to permanently reduce stress on the grid and emissions related to the production of peak power.”

"This significant award further recognizes the remarkable achievements of Victorville in creatively addressing power consumption by shifting peak loads to off peak hours,” said Buck Johns, President of Inland Energy, Inc, who fostered the relationship between Victorville and Ice Energy.  “While this remarkable award is made only to California applicants, it is recognized nationally. Throughout California and the nation, new standards are being set for efficient, environmentally friendly energy production and consumption, and Victorville is leading the way."

In addition to the California Public Utilities Commission, Flex Your Power Award winners were selected by senior representatives from the California Independent System Operator, California Energy Commission, California Urban Water Conservation Council, the League of California Cities, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Building Owners and Managers Association, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and Southern California Edison. For more information on the 5^th Annual Flex Your Power Awards, visit www.flexyourpower.org.

About Ice Energy, Inc.

Ice Energy^® is an energy technology company focused on energy storage and advanced cooling and refrigeration products and technologies. The company manufactures and markets a new Ice Storage Air Conditioner (ISAC) product line for residential and commercial applications that addresses the increasing demand for electricity. Ice Energy’s products shift the largest component of residential and commercial peak demand -- air conditioning -- from expensive “on-peak” times of the day to “off-peak” periods, when energy is less expensive and less polluting. Recently approved as an optional compliance measure for California’s Title 24 building energy efficiency standards, the Ice Bear^® system provides superior cooling comfort while significantly reducing the cost of energy. For more information visit www.ice-energy.com or call 877-5-ICEBEAR. Ice Energy and Ice Bear are registered trademarks of Ice Energy, Inc.

About the City of Victorville

Located in Southern California, Victorville is one of the fastest growing cities in California, now boasting a population of 100,000. Once known as the home of the former George Air Force Base, it is now the location of Southern California Logistics Airport, and is recognized for the opportunities it affords its residents and businesses.  Victorville is known for its clean air and water, open space, and family-oriented atmosphere. Victorville has adopted a stance that is both pro-business and pro-environment, using green technology and clean and renewable fuels in their vehicle fleets and municipal power generators.  For more information about Victorville, visit http://ci.victorville.ca.us 

Media Contacts:

Rosalind Jackson                                                       

Antenna Group (for Ice Energy)

415-977-1923                                     

rosalind@antennagroup.com

Yvonne Hester

City of Victorville

Director of Public Information