Abstract: The locking movement and/or the unlocking movement of a bimetallic drive of an electrothermally-controlled locking apparatus, for example for household-device doors, is or are driven by a separate bimetal member (10, 11) over only a first segment of its movement path. In the process, energy is supplied to the energy store (28) of a tipping over-center device until a dead-center position is attained, the energy being released as a moving drive for the remaining segment of the movement path when the dead-center position is exceeded, thereby cutting off the bimetal drive and stabilizing the locking member (2) in its end position.