Currys is to trial the selling of the panels at three of its British stores.

The company said that rising electricity charges and a greater awareness of the green agenda meant that customers were open to buying items such as solar panels, which it said could cut household energy bills by 50% but were until now lacking a big brand name backing.

According to Currys, it would cost around 13,000 to install sufficient panels to halve the consumption of an average three-bed house. That price would cover the cost of the panels, installation, and a 25-year warranty. The panels work on daylight, and don't depend on strong, direct sunlight.

Asked whether they'd be selling solar panels in their Irish stores a spokesman for Currys said: "We are concentrating on trialing the panels in the UK first but there's absolutely no reason why this wouldn't work in our stores in Ireland and indeed the rest of Europe. The response from the public so far has been high and we've been pleasantly surprised by the number of walk-in enquiries."

According to Currys, supplying solar panels is just the start of a series of initiatives to work with suppliers to provide more energy efficient, and ecofriendly products to customers.

"Wind turbines would be an obvious brand extension, which we would not rule out supplying but at the minute we are focusing on making the sale of solar panels work first, " the spokesman added.