Abstract: A two-stage refrigerator for medicine or similar material storage in the known operation of which the high stage chills the refrigerant of the low stage so that extremely low temperatures can be obtained in the freezer compartment. In a departure from present practice, both stages, not just the low stage, have an on-off operating mode in response to the freezer compartment temperature, with the result that there is a significant reduction in the consumption of electrical power by the unit.