As energy bills soar due to rising gas prices and a shortage of supply, over 5,000 West of England residents have signed up to a scheme that promises to help them save money and play an important part in cutting carbon emissions.

By clubbing together, everyone who has registered for the West of England Combined Authority-run scheme will get an opportunity for cheaper deals to install solar panels and set up a battery storage system at home.

In total 5,222 people across the region registered for solar panels and 536 for battery storage. Work is planned to be completed by April next year.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "Energy price hikes are a real concern to everyone right now, and it's good that so many local people have signed up to this new scheme which aims to help them save money and protect the planet.

"It means people can generate their own clean electricity, save money on their energy bills, and play an important part cutting harmful carbon emissions, helping reach our ambitious net zero targets."

It is anticipated that on average householders will save 22% on the cost of solar panels or battery storage systems.

The scheme is being run in partnership with an independent group-buying organisation called iChoosr.

How does the scheme work?

People registered online in September.

:An 'auction' was held where pre-vetted solar installers submit bids for the work.

:The installer(s) with the most competitive package win the auction.

:People are emailed a personal recommendation based on their registration details. This includes costs and specifications of the system they have requested.

:Householders decide whether to go ahead and pay a £150 deposit before 26 November. [The deposit is refundable in the event that a property is deemed unsuitable.]

The West of England Combined Authority, together with local councils, has partnered with independent organisation, iChoosr Ltd.

iChoosr delivers group-buying schemes for local authorities across the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Japan and the US. It has worked with 160 UK local authorities on its collective energy switching schemes since 2012 and in 2015, they initiated their group-buying for solar PV systems. Internationally, over 59 group-buying schemes have led over 93,000 residents to install solar PV systems - a total of 49 MW of power.

For more information click HERE :the the WECA solar site