Case study: Edgbaston Stadium, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, Birmingham
Fact file
● Edgbaston Stadium is one of the leading venues in international cricket and has been the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 1885
● With a drive to increase sustainability, Edgbaston’s aim is to become the “greenest cricket club and venue in the UK”
● As well as being one of the world’s most famous Test cricket stadiums, it is home to the T20 Bears team and Birmingham Phoenix, who compete in the new 100-ball format
● With a capacity of nearly 25,000 spectators, Edgbaston hosts corporate events, awards dinners, company Christmas parties and business meetings throughout the year
● Lord Combustion Services was enlisted to introduce modern, efficient hot water system for the South Stand, from the player changing rooms to the kitchens and corporate hospitality rooms
● Work was conducted during spring 2021, ahead of the easing of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions
The project
One of the leading venues in international cricket is now benefitting from an efficient and more effective hot water system designed and installed by the team at Lord Combustion Services.
Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham’s renowned Test venue, turned to its Oldbury-based commercial heating and hot water partner when it needed to introduce a new water system for all areas of the stadium’s £32 million South Stand.
From an initial review of their requirements and the existing installation, Lord provided a comprehensive design which incorporated the following design features and benefits:
● Capacity to meet the demands of full capacity Test matches, with accompanying hot water demands for 25,000 spectators over five days, as well as the catering, hospitality and playing staff.
● A hot water system with improved energy efficiency and reliability, complete with buffer storage to accommodate peak hot water demand.
● Year-round capacity to cope with requirements for catered events, corporate box visits, dinners and Christmas events.
● An increased hot water recovery rate through use of rapid recovery equipment.
● Variable speed pumps to give more control, reducing wasted usage, along with increased insulation.
● Assured access to hot water for catering staff, as well as cleaning employees working to Covid-19 hygiene standards.
Working in the spring of 2021 when the stadium team were preparing to reopen following successive Covid lockdowns, Lord set about replacing gas fired hot water heaters with more modern and efficient cylinders to reduce fossil fuel usage.
Lord halved the number of gas fired appliances in the plant room, backed with a system design which allowed for energy efficiency strategies to be implemented.
Client verdict
Craig Flindall, Chief Operating Officer at Edgbaston, was impressed by the Lord team’s performance. Craig said: “The hot water project was important to Edgbaston because the old system did not provide the output and efficiency we needed to cater for usage throughout the year, peaking on sell-out match days.
“Covid-19 has made access to hot water even more important to a leading stadium like Edgbaston, so we wanted to get things right before crowds returned. Knowing Lord through our longstanding partnership, we were pleased to find that since the new system has been installed, we are now able to provide hot water more effectively and efficiently, helping with our sustainability drive as well as providing the high-quality match day experience which spectators expect at Edgbaston.
“Working with Lord, we received a high-quality service through the process and an outcome which benefits staff and visitors alike. We were pleased with the way they prepared the initial assessment and proposal through to the completion of the project.
“The quality of the work provides us with a modern system which achieves our objectives. We would recommend Lord Combustion Services for their standards of service and delivery.”
Lord Combustion Services summary
Stuart Smith, Managing Director: “As Edgbaston’s commercial heating and hot water partner, we were pleased to deliver a system which is up to date and allows them to benefit from greater control, while reducing the environmental impact.
“We understand the unique demands faced by a cricket stadium over a five-day Test match, when thousands of spectators and staff want access to hot water simultaneously. We installed four stainless steel hot water storage vessels, each with a volume of 500 litres.
“They were coupled with heat exchangers each with a maximum rating of 120KW, given a combined maximum output of 480KW, which will mean Edgbaston can meet the needs of guests, players, spectators and staff throughout the year. Our approach for Edgbaston is typical of the engineering solutions we offer clients, so it was pleasing to see the work delivered in time for the return of crowds to one of the most famous cricket stadiums in the world.”
Technical specification
Boilers: 3 No. Condensing. Modulating natural gas boilers c500kW max output each
Hot water generation: 4 No. Stainless Steel hot water storage vessels complete with integral plate heat exchangers each with a combined storage volume of 2000 litres.
Pumps: Twin head circulation pump complete with integral variable speed drives.
Controls: BMS controls with remote monitoring facility and energy efficient control strategy.
For more information on Edgbaston, visit: https://edgbaston.com/
