The stadium, one of the world’s best known Test cricket venues and home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, has been on a drive to reduce its carbon footprint and move closer to becoming a Net Zero organisation. The team at Lord Combustion Services, based in Oldbury, have helped the management deliver on its ambitions of becoming the most sustainable cricket stadium in the world.
In the new video, the stadium’s key staff shared the progress they have made so far with the support of Lord Combustion Services, the ground’s official commercial heating and hot water partners.
As well as providing ongoing maintenance, the heating experts from Lord have helped Edgbaston with a number of significant projects for Edgbaston, including sourcing and installing an upgraded heating system that has helped the venue to significantly reduce its reliance of fossil fuels.
Speaking in the video, Stuart Cain, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “As a high-profile stadium, we have got a responsibility to promote best practice in green initiatives, so we have been looking at a number of ways to improve our water efficiency and reduce our fossil fuel reliance for heat.
“On a practical level, we also need to know that our water supply will deliver hot water when we need it, in the most energy efficient way. If England played a Test match here and the players come in to have a shower and the water’s cold, they’d be very quick to complain!”
As one of the region’s most popular events spaces, Edgbaston also plays host to a number of public events throughout the year, so it was important for the stadium’s operations team to know that hot water for its hospitality team including cooking and cleaning would always be available on demand, in the most energy-friendly way.
The team at Lord Combustion worked closely with the stadium to understand their Net Zero goals. As a leading Midlands heating specialist focussed on sustainable energy systems, they advised Edgbaston on the most efficient heating solutions, as well as sharing advice and best practice.
The project involved conducting initial surveys of the current systems, developing and proposing a new scope of works and implementing the installation of the new systems, all whilst Edgbaston continued to operate as a busy live stadium. The system significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels.
Stuart Cain added: “The installation was seamless, and Lord Combustion have not only completed every aspect of the installation, including sourcing, supplying and maintaining the system, but they’ve demonstrated to us that it really works and it’s making tangible improvements to our energy efficiency and Net Zero targets.
“Since we’ve been working with Lord Combustion, they’ve never let us down – and to anyone operating in a similar space who’s considering improving their sustainability and energy efficiency, I can’t recommend them enough.”
Also speaking in the video, Jonathan Wiggin, Head of Venue Operations at Edgbaston Stadium, said: “We’re used to hosting crowds of 25,000, and the systems maintained and serviced by the team at Lord Combustion are imperative to the whole operation. Their expertise and knowledge is best-in-class.”
Lord Combustion Services made the West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge to reduce its environmental impact as it marked its 40th anniversary in 2022, during a visit by former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
Overseen by regional champion Sustainability West Midlands on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority, the pledge is undertaken by businesses as part of the drive to “lead the green revolution and become a net zero carbon economy by 2041”.
In 2021 Lord was recognised for its achievements in reducing clients’ environmental impact by winning the sustainability trophy at the West Midlands Business Masters Awards, organised by regional news website The Business Desk.
Lord Combustion Services’ Managing Director Stuart Smith appears in the film. He said: “We’ve worked with Edgbaston for a number of years now to provide reactive, preventative and project works, and we’re very proud to be commercial partners with a venue such as the iconic stadium of Edgbaston.”
You can watch the video here.
