A new 'rent-a-roof' offer from British Gas and the National Housing Federation will soon see solar panels popping up on many more roofs across the UK.

The deal offers members of the National Housing Federation a simple way to maximise their assets, reduce their tenants' electricity bills by £100 a year or more, reduce carbon emissions and gain a revenue stream of at least £30 a year per property with no capital outlay.

How 'rent-a-roof' works:

According to the agreement, British Gas will lease the roof space, install the solar panels at its own cost and maintain the solar panels for 25 years. British Gas will also provide members with energy saving devices such as electricity monitors or standby savers to help them help each household to get the best out of their solar panels and minimise their electricity bills.

According to Betsy Bassis, managing director of British Gas Community Energy, said:

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the National Housing Federation to offer this scheme which benefits both members and their tenants. We believe this is a great opportunity to support Federation members in their work to reduce fuel poverty and carbon across their housing.”

Expected benefits:

Federation members can benefit from a minimum income of £30 per property a year from the lease of the roof, as well as cutting the annual carbon emissions from their housing stock and helping to tackle fuel poverty.

Tenants are expected to save in excess of £100 a year on their electricity bills through using the electricity generated by the solar panels and will be given energy efficiency advice specially tailored to their circumstances.

Read more at www.BritishGas.co.uk/nhfoffer and www.24dash.com.