As many as 800,000 low-income homes across the England and Wales will get free solar panels under a new government backed scheme. The £1bn program, largest of its kind in the UK, will see the installation of solar panels in some 100,000 homes in first 18 months, which will gradually increase to 800,000 in the next five years. The first tenants to get the panels are residents of a retirement home in west London.
The project will also create as many as 1,000 installations and maintenance jobs, many of which would go to military veterans.
Uk Huffington Post reports that the country has been leading the way in the adoption of solar power. More than a million homes in the UK are currently using clean energy powered by solar thermal or photovoltaic panels.
The move is being seen as a major cost-cutter for low-income homeowners, with Department for International Trade expecting an average reduction of £240 per year on electricity bills. This would mean savings up to £192m in total, plus 100% clean electricity.
