[This is an EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

by Hélène Mulholland

Boris Johnson today announced plans to retrain Londoners left unemployed by the economic downturn as energy efficiency advisers in a drive to make the capital greener.

The mayor of London unveiled proposals to set up a "retrofitting academy" to train an army of energy advisers as he aired his ambitions to place the city at the forefront of green industry.

Johnson told delegates he was interested in introducing an insulation scheme similar to one established in Kirklees, Yorkshire, where every resident is advised on how to reduce energy bills with better insulation and energy saving measures, such as combined heat and power boilers, and retrofitting is provided for free.

The Conservative mayor said: "That's why we are proceeding with a retrofitting academy, which I think would be a huge benefit to this city at a time when we expect people to be joining the ranks of unemployment. They will need retraining and they will be retrained in an industry which has a huge potential for growth."

Johnson also vowed to push ahead with the retrofitting of buildings in London that in one way or another reside in the public sector – believed to be around 25% of all buildings in the capital.

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