Richmond Council will soon be joining the London-wide Solar Together scheme, giving residents the opportunity to buy high quality solar panels at a discounted rate through a group buying scheme, helping to reduce their carbon footprint while making savings on household bills.

The council are working in partnership with the Mayor of London to make the transition to clean energy as cost effective and hassle-free as possible. Supporting the Solar Together initiative is one of many activities Richmond Council is delivering to tackle the climate emergency.

The scheme allows residents to benefit from significant reductions in the cost price of new solar panel systems through group buying with others who are interested in making the switch to renewable energy.

This innovative scheme builds on three years of the highly successful Solar Together programme run across the UK which has delivered over 3,000 installations to date (including nearly 1,000 in London) and almost 50,000 tonnes of avoided lifetime carbon emissions.

The installation of solar panels will enable households to generate their own clean electricity, significantly reducing both household bills and overall carbon footprint.

Once registered, residents will receive support and advice throughout theprocess. Residents will receive personalised recommendations depending on their house type and the specifications of individual roofs.

Installation works will be carried out by a certified technician to ensure residents receive a high quality of work on their homes.

Cllr Julia Neden-Watts is hair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Services Committee.

She said: "Many residents have told us that they want to make the move to renewable energy butfeel that the processisoverwhelming.Thisschemewillsupportresidents along the way, helping tomake thepurchaseandinstallation process cheaper and easier.

"Supportingresidentsto make this transition is an important part of our ClimateEmergencyStrategy. I hope many of you see this as an opportunity to look seriously atsolar energy production for your home."

Registration for the Solar Together scheme is now open. The closing date to register is Tuesday, March 23.

Find out more information and register for Solar Together here.