Around 100 Sutton homeowners will be among the first in the country to get home energy makeovers as part of a £4m Government scheme aimed at tackling climate change.

The Government's Home Energy Pay As You Save pilots will give homeowners the opportunity to make their houses energy efficient, with no upfront cost. It will provide various affordable ways to pay for the improvements.

Repayments will be spread over a long enough period so they are lower than predicted energy bill savings.

The initiative – run in conjunction with B&Q – will see technology like solar panels and ground source heat pumps installed in Sutton homes.

The Government is putting £4million forward to fund the trial. A total of around 500 homes across England will take part providing evidence of how to foot the bill for the Great British Refurb – the Government’s plan to make the 22 million existing homes in the UK more energy efficient.

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “People in Sutton will be testing out on behalf of the nation how we can finance the more expensive home energy refurbishments.

“Many householders want to reduce their emissions from their homes, but are put off by the upfront cost of installing insulation, solar panels or ground source heat pumps. Pay As You Save will trial different ways of paying for this work so it’s affordable.

“Increasing the energy efficiency of homes not only helps reduce emissions, but will also help reduce fuel bills. One quarter of the UK’s total emissions come from homes, so householders represent a key part of the solution to tackling climate change in the UK.

“Such strong domestic action shows leadership on an international stage as we enter the global climate talks in Copenhagen this week.”

Are you one of the homeowners taking part in the trial? Let us know below