Electra and Rabbinical Institute Launch Universal Sabbath AC Remote

Electra and the Scientific-Technological Institute for Halacha have unveiled a universal “Sabbath control remote” for air conditioners, in what they described as a major halachic and technological breakthrough. The launch took place this week at the institute, with Electra’s customer division led by CEO Tal Beit-Halachmi and Gal Tamir, head of USP accessories and spare parts, together with the institute’s rabbis and engineers.

The institute’s head, Rabbi Abraham Moshe Halperin, approved the product after a series of strict tests and gave it a formal kosher certification. The company said the remote is universal and allows use on Shabbat even in units without a built-in Sabbath mode. It is designed to neutralize the effect of people in the room on the air conditioner, including opening and closing doors and windows and the presence of occupants, which can affect modern units through sensors and digital thermostats.

The rabbis and engineers stressed that the product is not just a simple timer remote. They said devices sometimes marketed as “Sabbath remotes” only set on-off times in advance and do not stop the user’s actions from directly affecting the air conditioner during operation. By contrast, they said Electra’s device puts the air conditioner into a real physical Sabbath mode that is halachically proper.

The project took more than a year, beginning in late last winter, when Rabbis Yaakov Luria and Yosef Hildesheimer met with Electra officials in Rishon Lezion to set the halachic requirements. The remote then underwent repeated tests in the institute’s laboratories, with engineering changes made after rabbinical feedback. Electra said it is offering a premium product at an affordable price, with little effect on user experience or energy efficiency, and said the remote is already in select stores.