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The flagship London Green Homes service is unique to the capital, and will offer a free comprehensive telephone advice service, a free website and a paid-for green 'concierge' service to provide a hassle-free tailor-made package of carbon saving lifestyle improvements.

The advice service will be highly flexible, offering Londoners advice on any actions to reduce carbon emissions from their lifestyle, and explain how best to save money on energy bills.

The London Green Homes service is part of delivering the Mayor's Climate Change Action Plan – a comprehensive programme of initiatives to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025, including programmes for the capital's homes, organisations, transportation and energy supply system.

Sixty percent of London's housing was built before 1945, compared to 40 percent nationally so it is less energy efficient than the UK average. Over £4m has been allocated to the Green Homes programme in 2007-08 and it aims to cut 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year by 2010.

The Mayor opened the service with Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London and Darren Johnson, a London Assembly Green Party member, at a specially designed life-size eco-house in Trafalgar Square. The exhibition house named 'No 1 Lower Carbon Drive' will tour the capital to promote the new services, and to showcase ideas to 'green' your home.

Ken Livingstone, said:
"In London, energy use in the homes is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions. But much of the energy we pay for in our homes is simply wasted, and there are simple changes we can make to cut energy use without any reduction in our quality of life – indeed the average household will save £300 if they carry out the Green Homes programme.

"We know Londoners want to help prevent climate change, and London Green Homes will provide the information and on-going support to enable them do so. I am proud that London is now leading the UK in offering a comprehensive and flexible 'green homes' service, as part of our wider programme to cut London's carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025."

Darren Johnson, Green Member of the London Assembly, said:
"Londoners want to help save the planet and we want to help them do it. This is a unique consumer service, which I believe will become standard practice across Britain in the next few years. We are not only helping people to create energy saving homes, but to access other services which could change their whole lifestyle. It is another example of London leading the way and the Government following."

No.1 Lower Carbon Drive
Discover some of the products, technologies and habits that you can adopt at home to tackle climate change by visiting No.1 Lower Carbon Drive in Trafalgar Square.

No.1 Lower Carbon Drive is based on a typical, pre-war London terrace house. Such a home can emit around six tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Filled with fun and interactive exhibits that illustrate what you can do in your home to tackle climate change, the house is divided into six zones, covers energy, ventilation, appliances, water, recycling and insulation.

Exhibits include exploring the "power of worms" and the insulation zone.

A solar photovoltaic exhibit gets users to try to 'match' the power of the sun – by turning handles to generate the same amount of power.

You can see the effects that drafts make on the temperature of a house by trying to block them – and see if you beat off the cold.