An electronically commutated motor “breathes” during operation; i.e. in addition to its normal energy consumption, it alternately receives energy from the power network or from a storage capacitor connected to the power network, and at intervals—during commutation—delivers energy to that storage capacitor. In electrical engineering, this phenomenon is also referred to as the phenomenon of reactive power. In order to adapt to this reactive power, the storage capacitor must be of considerable size (usually hundreds of μF) so it can temporarily store this energy. A storage capacitor of this kind has a limited service life and requires a great deal of space in the motor.