Don’t use washing machines or dishwashers during tomorrow’s solar eclipse, warns Britain’s biggest energy supplier

HOUSEHOLDS have been advised against doing certain cleaning tasks during tomorrow’s celestial phenomenon. Britain’s biggest energy supplier has warned customers not to use electrical appliances during tomorrow’s solar eclipse. Octopus Energy has warned customers against using electrical appliance during tomorrow’s eclipse (stock image) Credit: Sebastian Gorczowski The Met Office has shared when the sun will be obscured the most across the UK Credit: Met Office With the moon set to cover almost all of the sun, the celestial event will be the biggest the UK has seen in nearly 30 years. Evening light will be slightly dimmed from about 6pm to just after 8pm on Wednesday evening, with the peak of the eclipse expected roughly between 7pm and 7.20pm. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Octopus Energy has warned customers against switching on electrical appliances during this time. “When the moon blocks the sun on Wednesday, Britain will lose a chunk of its solar power just as millions of people are getting home and switching on their appliances,” Kieron Stopforth, head of flexibility at Octopus Energy said. With more than 90 per cent of sunlight blocked, solar-generated power across the UK will be lowered. This will coincide with most Brits finishing up work and returning home for the evening, a common time to carry out household tasks such as laundry and washing dishes. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) estimates that up to 1.3 gigawatts, the equivalent amount of power to running a million homes, will be lost out on as a result of the eclipse. Octopus Energy is offering eligible customers one hour of free energy on Sunday, August 16 in exchange for altering their energy use during the eclipse. Most read in Money Half a million customers currently take part in “demand-shifting” programmes with Octopus, which the energy provider emphasised is a voluntary process. Comment now