VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Smartcool Systems Inc. announced that Tapia Bros., Maywood, Calif., one of the largest food service distributors to Mexican restaurants in the United States, has requested that Smartcool's Energy Savings Module (ESM) 4000 be installed in all of its distribution centers throughout the southwestern United States.

Smartcool and Tapia Bros. have agreed to this comprehensive rollout as a result of the energy savings achieved during an initial installation in the three separate cooler rooms at the Tapia Bros. facility in Maywood. The savings met the payback period and then was committed to the purchase proposal. The installation has also been approved for rebates by Southern California Edison, the local electrical utility, which will help shorten the payback period.

"The cold storage and food distribution industry continues to face increasing energy costs and is seeking solutions to reduce operating expenses by improving energy efficiency. We have now completed successful installations with Lancaster Foods in Maryland, Agro-Jal Foods in northern California, and with Tapia Bros. in southern California and going forwards we will continue to make this vertical market a major focus for SmartCool," said George Burnes, president of Smartcool.