Octopus Energy is offering customers the chance to earn an hour of free electricity by reducing their power usage during the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, August 12. The energy supplier is also running a competition to win solar panels or a £12,000 cash alternative.
Eclipse Power Down
The eclipse is expected to take place between 6pm and 8pm on August 12 and will affect solar power capabilities during the darkest parts. This also coincides with the time of day that electricity usage across the country usually spikes.
To help take strain off the power grid, Octopus is incentivising its customers to use less electricity between 6pm and 8pm. In return, eligible households will get an hour of free power on Sunday, August 16.
To be eligible, customers must be a part of Octopus’ reward programme, Octoplus, and be signed up to Octopus’s Saving Sessions. Customers will also need to opt in to the Eclipse Power Down session on their online dashboard.
Households will need to use less electricity than they usually do during at least half an hour of the Power Down. The energy firm will inform households on Saturday, August 15, if they were successful and what time their free hour of power will be on Sunday.
The free hours are expected to range between late morning and early afternoon on Sunday. More information and FAQs can be found on Octopus Energy’s website.
To help people take part in the power down, Octopus Energy suggested: “Delay the dishwasher, save the laundry until later, don’t bother with the oven. Switch off the telly and whatever else you’re not using.”
Solar eclipse competition
To mark the rare celestial event, Octopus Energy is also encouraging people to grab some photos of the solar eclipse to enter a competition that could win them a full rooftop solar installation or £12,000 in cash.
People wanting to take part must take a photo of what they did during the eclipse instead of being inside at home. They can share this on Instagram, Facebook, X or Bluesky, tagging @OctopusEnergy and include the hashtag #OctoEclipse in the post caption.
Your social media profile must be set to ‘public’ during the competition period to be entered. Entries are also limited to one per person across all platforms, with duplicate entries being discounted.
To be eligible for the solar panel prize, participants must be an Octopus Energy customer and be the homeowner or have written permission from the property owner to install solar panels, among other conditions.
