A new study has revealed that one in ten homes across Stirling Council have solar panels on their properties.

The statistics place Stirling in 2nd place across any city or town in the UK, and make the region the only Scottish representative in the UK-wide top 10.

Analysis by eco developer Project Etopia has recorded that Stirling has more than 4,051 solar panels, enough to equip 10.1% of the area’s 40,157 households.

Stirling Council’s Housing Service installed more than 95% of the PV installations as part of their drive to ensure warmer, greener and more energy-efficient local authority homes.

The survey is another feather in the cap of the service, which last year helped Stirling Council receive the Best Residential Solar and Storage Project award at the annual UK Solar and Storage Awards 2019.

The awards recognised the significant impact made on the councils’ social housing stock over the past seven years through investment in renewable technology, showcasing the local authority’s commitment to improving energy efficiency while reducing fuel poverty and carbon emissions.

Councillor Evelyn Tweed, housing portfolio holder, said: “The continued investment in our solar panels means that more and more Stirling Council tenants are feeling the benefits of reduced electricity bills and helps facilitate our work to tackle fuel poverty across the Stirling area.

“We are determined to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver for fuel poverty and are committed to ensuring that everyone in Stirling, no matter their financial situation, has access to good quality housing that they can afford to heat.”

In addition to reducing the energy costs for tenants, the Council’s investment has resulted in 55% of the council housing stock already meeting the new challenging minimum energy efficiency standards that all Scottish social landlords must meet by 2032.

Councillor Danny Gibson, depute housing portfolio holder, added: “These figures represent the hard work our Housing Team have been undertaking in order to improve the energy efficiency of Council homes.

“Our investment has also included the installation of innovative new battery storage systems to further reduce energy costs, and all of this work showcases how we are delivering on our commitment to increase the energy efficiency of our housing stock for the benefit of our residents.”