Department of Energy in refrigerator operation for Shabbos observers

Is your refrigerator old? Need a new refrigerator and keep Shabbos? The Ministry of Energy and Water learned a lesson from the previous operation and announced today (Wednesday) a round of replacement of refrigerators for modern refrigerators which are energy efficient. Unlike the round last year, the operation is open to all and includes refrigerators for Shabbos observers.

The new operation will begin early next week, December 16th.

• Refrigerators replacement operation excludes avreichim • Scandal

In the project 50 thousand new refrigerators will be subsidised, at the first stage about 25 thousand refrigerators will be replaced and at the second stage about 25 thousand additional refrigerators.

This time, after complaints of the past about discrimination against haredim, the operation also refers to Shabbos observers, and most models have a light switch or Shabbos mechanism, which was approved by the Tzomet Institute or Scientific Institute of Technology for Halacha.

The project budget is around 50 million NIS, while the ministry will subsidize about 30% of the fridge purchased, at a sum between 800 to 1,250 shekels per refrigerator.

Consumer fridge price includes the transport of the new refrigerator to the client, taking off doors or replacement of the opening side if necessary, removal of the old refrigerator from the client and its transfer to disposal and overall guarantee for three years.

The replacement of fridges will be continued for 12 months or until stocks last, when the conditions of participation remained the same as the previous project: the replaced refrigerator has to be normal and not broken, with a volume of at least 300 liters and aged 7 years and up. It was reported that the project is expected to lead to annual savings of more than 60 million kWh of the energy economy, valued approximately 750 shekels in the electric bill of each household.

In the tender to supply the refrigerators were six vendors: Samline, Rap, Ralco, Brimag Digital Age, Electra and Tadiran. Consumers can choose from 13 different models of refrigerators from 3 different size groups, ranging from 350 to 560 liters and in different colors.

Other projects on the agenda and are still in tender proceeding in the Ministry, are replacing air conditioners for the general population – which is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013, and the project to replace electric boilers in solar water heating systems.

The list of shops in which the refrigerators can be purchased will be published on the Ministry's website at the beginning of next week.

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