A GREEN energy project will be used to give ­tenants cheaper fuel bills, housing association ­bosses said today.

And local youngsters were on hand to help put the Ecopod in place on the roof of a block of flats in Woodside in Glasgow.

It is the first of its kind to be installed in Scotland and will help fight fuel poverty for more than 500 households which should benefit from warmer homes and up to 40% reduction in their heating and hot water bills.

The Ecopod is one of seven being installed by Queens Cross Housing Association (QCHA) on deck access properties in the north-west Glasgow neighbourhood, an area classified among the 15% most ­deprived in Scotland.

The Ecopod's heat water ­using solar panels producing hot water at a lower cost.

Queens Cross chief executive Shona Stephen said she was confident it will make a difference to the lives of tenants.

She said: "Raising the ­energy efficiency of homes is the most sustainable way to tackle fuel poverty. Indications from comparison sites with Ecopod indicate that our ­tenants will see significant savings on their fuel bills.

"We're proud to be at the forefront of using innovative technology to reduce carbon emissions and energy usage and delighted to be working so collaboratively with Carillion and British Gas to deliver real benefits to tenants."

The Ecopods will be complimented by gas absorption heat pumps which produce additional heat into the system to help reduce running costs overall.

A bespoke Building Management System (BMS) also ­monitors the system centrally and continually to ensure ­optimum performance for householders.

Matt Baller, from Carillion, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Queens Cross Housing Association on this pioneering project.

"It is the first ECO-funded programme of its type in the UK and will make a truly positive impact in reducing fuel poverty."

The project is being partly financed through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) programme - with £4.8million coming from Queens Cross funding partner British Gas.

The Scottish Government via Glasgow City Council is also contributing £1m to the project through its Home ­Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland: Area Based Schemes.