HUNDREDS council tenants are set to benefit from cheaper energy bills thanks to a trial that could see up to £20 million invested in the economy.

Six hundred households across Greater Manchester – including more than 300 council homes in the Wigan borough - will be fitted with state-of-the-art smart energy systems developed by Japanese experts.

Air source heat pumps, which effectively act as air conditioning units in reverse, compressing air to produce heat and hot water, will be fitted into people’s homes replacing their existing heating systems.

The pumps are connected to a 'smart grid' system which can aggregate the energy produced in people’s homes and switch to the stored energy during times of peak demand, reducing demand on the National Grid.

Wigan and Leigh Homes tenant Carole Ball is one of the first people to have the system fitted in her home.

The 53-year old from Hindley said: “We previously had old storage heaters in our house that were really outdated. The house could get quite cold and hot water would run out quickly.

“We had the new system fitted last week and we’re really pleased with it. The house has been much warmer and we have constant hot water.

“And, because the system comes with a meter, we’ve been able to see how much money we’ve been spending.

“So far the new system seems much cheaper. I think our energy bills our going to be cut dramatically, which is great news.”