Novar plcof the United Kingdom has announced that it plans to acquire the trade and assets ofAlerton Technologies, Inc.of Redmond, WA. Alerton is a leading designer and manufacturer of building automation and control systems HVAC applications. The transaction is expected be completed on March 3, 2003.

The name of the acquired business will be changed to Alerton Inc. and it will become a member of Novar’s Intelligent Building Systems division as a wholly owned subsidiary of Novar Controls Corp. Alerton Inc. will remain in Redmond and the Novar and Alerton brands will be positioned for growth through the combined and coordinated activities of the two companies’ expanded dealer network across North America and around the world. The Novar Controls and Alerton businesses will continue to focus on the needs of their customers. Major organizational change is unlikely in the near