Government to subsidize replacement of old refrigerators

National Infrastructure Ministry to help replace 50,000 “electricity-gorging” machines in order to increase energy efficiency.

By SHARON UDASIN
Uzi Landau (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Uzi Landau
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The National Infrastructure Ministry will be investing NIS 50 million in the replacement of approximately 50,000 “electricity-gorging” old refrigerators among the general public, as part of a wide-scale attempt to increase energy efficiency and decrease power consumption in homes, the ministry announced on Thursday.
Publishing a tender that same day, the ministry is looking for a supplier that will distribute the tens of thousands of fridges, as well as completely scrap the old ones so that they are not reusable, according to a statement from the ministry.
The new models will need to have high ratings in energy standards (of A or B) and must have low energy consumption, and the ministry has committed to subsidizing up to 30 percent – or up to NIS 1,250 – of the cost of each machine. With their new fridges, customers should expect to save about NIS 500 per year, the statement noted.
To qualify for fridge replacement, a customer’s device must be older than seven years, a spokeswoman for the ministry told The Jerusalem Post.
“This is a step toward social justice,” National Infrastructure Minister Dr. Uzi Landau said in the statement.
“For the first time, the State of Israel is participating a great deal in wide-scale projects to increase energy efficiency in households, which will substantially influence the reduction of electricity consumption in the country. This is a direct subsidy of millions of shekels that will directly help tens of thousands of households in purchasing new and economical electrical appliances. Citizens benefit twice – once through a price subsidy, and a second time through annual saving in their electricity bills.”
The ministry also intends to announce a similar tender for replacing air conditioners in the near future, Landau added, reminding members of the public that they will soon be able to purchase three energy-saving light bulbs for NIS 20, at a location to be announced shortly.
The newest refrigerator replacement project joins two other similar ministry programs, in which 680 refrigerators were recently provided to families of limited means, and an additional NIS 50m. was spent on replacing fridges for people receiving guaranteed minimum wage or income support, the ministry said.