When the temperature decreased on Monday during the solar eclipse, so too did energy consumption in the Tri-Cities area, local power companies reported.
During the 30-minute window leading up to the peak of the sun’s obscuration, Bristol Virginia Utilities reported a 5-megawatt reduction in demand level, according to BVU spokesman Chris Hall.
That reduction — from 66 megawatts at 2:13 p.m. to 61 megawatts at 2:47 p.m. — represented a decrease of nearly 7.6 percent in energy demand.
