Hundreds of homes across the county will have solar panels fitted as part of a government-backed trial to help save energy.
Homeowners who participate in the scheme will have their solar panels fitted for free and would pay a small monthly fee for maintaining them, instead of paying thousands of pounds upfront.
Oxfordshire County Council says it expects those who sign up for the Energy Saver App to cut their gas and electricity use by at least seven per cent and save more than £300 a year.
The first two installations were carried out just before Christmas, one in Bicester and one in Upper Tadmarton, four miles west of Banbury.
The two homeowners were selected at random after opting into the trial.
Residents who own a smart meter can opt-in to the trial by downloading the council’s Energy Saver App, which was launched last year.
The county council said that a typical three-bed house would pay £40 a month for the solar panel and the battery.
The authority added that app users can expect to save £200 a year from insights on their usage and energy-saving tips, and £100 a year from using the app’s tariff switching service.
The council aims to install solar panels on around 400 homes across the county before the trial will run until March 2025.
They also aim to install air source heat pumps in 200 more homes.
The government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s Alternative Energy Market programme have provided £5.3 million to fund the trial.
