Solar panels are to be installed on 500 houses in North Ayrshire.

The panels will be installed for free, and the £1.6m council initiative is hoped to save residents up to £115 in the first year alone.

Initial consultation identified 1100 council properties that could be suitable, determined by factors like house type, roof orientation and solar irradiation.

The panels are hoped to be installed by this autumn with the potential for the scheme to be further rolled-out if successful.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie said: "This programme provides so many benefits for North Ayrshire and particularly addresses the issues of fuel poverty and climate change.

"We know that many our tenants struggle to make ends meet and rising energy prices place so much pressure on families, particularly those on low incomes.

"The solar panels would be installed at no charge to the resident, meaning they will have a system which will generate free electricity during the day, and help reduce the burden of rising energy bills.

"As well as helping some of our lowest-income residents, this programme also makes a big environmental statement."