Echelon and FAST Team Up to Enhance Internet Control of Restaurant Management.

Integration of LONWORKS® and SCK® Technologies Provides New Level of Operations Control.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and STRATFORD, Conn. -October 16, 2000 - Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) and Food Automation-Service Techniques, Inc. (FAST) have entered into a strategic alliance whereby they will integrate their networking technologies to create the industry's most comprehensive remote-controlled "intelligent kitchen" system. This means that for the first time, appliance technologies can be combined with building automation systems in commercial kitchens. The alliance between Echelon and FAST comes in response to the foodservice industry's increasing need to reduce rising labor and operational costs.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding under which LONWORKS® building automation systems (for HVAC, security, lighting, access, etc.) and FAST's Smart Commercial Kitchen® (SCK) network can both be monitored and controlled by retailers via a common operator interface over the Internet. This integration will enable collection of data from both LONWORKS and SCK networks from geographically dispersed restaurant locations. A Web browser-based user service will allow users to securely access a broad range of facilities information that can be used for intelligent business management and operations control.

"Our work with Echelon creates an industry-first opportunity for our customers to implement an intelligent kitchen network that encompasses not only the appliances, but also entire building automation systems' data including heating, lighting, air conditioning, and security," said Mario Ceste, vice president of FAST. "By combining the intelligence from both a LONWORKS state-of-the-art building system and the SCK network, restaurant operators will for the first time have comprehensive, remote and real-time access to any number of locations on demand from anywhere in the world."

Through a simple Web browser, authorized users can customize alerts, access activity reports from a single building, or benchmark performance comparatively across several restaurant sites. Interoperability between LONWORKS and SCK will deliver total facilities monitoring capabilities that will not only reduce labor costs and increase unit performance, but will also lower energy and maintenance costs.

For example, a store manager or chain executive can monitor multiple-site activities to identify whether or not the cooking and preparation equipment, refrigeration systems, and building systems are operating properly and at peak efficiency. The service will include management tools for configuring alarms that in the event of a potential problem (such as a food safety hazard, equipment failure, security event, or inventory monitoring) will automatically notify the store manager.

"We are thrilled with this new alliance," said Reza Raji, Echelon's director of business development. "FAST is a recognized leader in foodservice with the vision and technologies to deploy in-store information networks within an industry that is clamoring for more automation solutions. The interconnectivity with kitchen equipment compliments our existing partner offerings and naturally expands our market solidly into 100,000 commercial restaurants that are in need of today's building automation solutions. We look forward to working with FAST to promote open and interoperable LONWORKS networks and equipment."

Two application interfaces between LONWORKS and SCK have been underway for several months, with additional product offerings anticipated to follow. The first interface, which utilizes Echelon's i.LON™ 1000 Internet Server to provide a unified networking platform for LONWORKS building automation systems and SCK-enabled commercial kitchen equipment, is expected to be available for beta test by year-end. The second interface, being developed by FAST, will allow SCK software to capture facilities data directly from LONWORKS networks and into the SCK database, where it can be converged with data from kitchen equipment, POS, back office systems, and more.

About Echelon Corporation
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) is the world leader in networking everyday devices. The company offers a comprehensive line of hardware and software products for automating building, home, industrial, transportation, and utility applications using LONWORKSnetworks, an international, cross-industry, open standard for interoperable device networks. Echelon is Bringing the Internet to Life™ by linking the millions of everyday devices connected with LONWORKS networks to the Internet.

Echelon is based in Sunnyvale, California with international offices in China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information can be found at http://www.echelon.com.

Echelon's LONWORLD2000™ Conference and Exhibition is designed to help end-users, integrators, service providers, and manufacturers learn how to use the LONWORKSsystem in their business. The conference will take place on October 18-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida and features a series of forums, classes and presentations along with an exhibition of products and services covering the home/utility, building, industrial, and transportation markets. Sponsorship, registration and exhibition information about LONWORLD2000 can be found at http://www.lonworld2000.com/.

About FAST
FAST, headquartered in Stratford, Conn. is the leading manufacturer of appliance controls specially developed for use in the foodservice and related industries. As the pioneer of process controls for multi-unit restaurants 30 years ago, FAST continues to lead the design and engineering of equipment controls that produce premium food quality and are easy to use. FAST is an approved controls supplier at leading quick service restaurants worldwide, including KFC, Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, Churchs Chicken, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and others. More information about FAST's products and services can be found on the World Wide Web at www.fastinc.com, requested via e-mail at jdaniel@fastinc.com, or by calling 1-800-327-8766.

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