Batei Din Best on Electricity Savings, Study Shows

Of all public institutions that have followed government mandates to adopt energy-efficiency programs, it is the Batei Din that have done the best job, a report by the Ministry of Energy, Infrastructure and Resources said. The report evaluated all government ministries and offices, and found that the Batei Din utilized energy in the most efficient manner.

The study is part of a long-term energy-efficiency program promoted by the Ministry, in which government offices are supposed to reduce their use of electricity by 2030 by up to 17 percent. Public institutions and government offices use 28 percent of Israel’s electricity production, with an annual bill of 8 billion shekels.

The report shows that the Batei Din used electricity most efficiently of all offices, with an average usage of 121 kilowatt per hour per square meter. Eli Katzir, head of logistics and purchasing in the Batei Din, said that the report was the result of years of implementing small steps to improve energy efficiency. Monthly assessments of electricity usage are sent in by all the Batei Din, and if more than the average amount of electricity is used, the manager of that specific Beis Din is called in to determine the cause, and what needs to be done to fix the situation, he said, adding that the administration holds energy-efficiency contests for Batei Din.

Rabbi Shimon Yaakovi, director of the Batei Din, said that he was “pleased to hear about our office’s achievements. Mr. Katzir has led a long and fruitful project to reach this goal, and I appreciate his hard work.”