Lord Combustion Services profiled by WMCA for sustainability drive

20 Feb 2024

Published in: Member News

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The drive by commercial heating and ventilation specialist Lord Combustion Services to reduce its carbon footprint has been featured as a model of environmental best practice in a new West Midlands Combined Authority video promoting the West Midlands Net Zero Pledge.

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Oldbury-based Lord Combustion Services is highlighted by the strategic authority for the region as a positive example of how businesses can play their part in the move to be net zero.

Specialising in the installation and maintenance of commercial heating, ventilation and hot water systems, Lord Combustion Services has shown a long-standing commitment to helping its clients reduce their environmental impact.

In April 2022, during a visit from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to mark the company’s 40th anniversary, Lord signed the West Midlands Net Zero Pledge, which is undertaken by businesses wanting to be part of the region’s drive to?“become a net zero carbon economy by 2041”.

This week, the Mayor said: “We have set an ambitious target to become a net zero region by 2041 but we cannot do this without West Midlands businesses joining us in the battle against climate change.

“That’s why we launched the Net Zero Pledge, to help bring our businesses along with us and Lord Combustion Services were one of the first to sign up. They were quick to realise that our #WM2041 net zero ambition presents a huge commercial opportunity for local businesses in areas such as retrofit, clean transport, forestry and carbon capture, all of which will create tens of thousands of jobs here in the region.

“Lord Combustion Services have been a great example of how businesses can reduce their carbon footprint , helping to clean up our economy and our air.”

In 2021, the company was recognised for its achievements in reducing clients’ environmental impact when it won the sustainability trophy at the West Midlands Business Masters Awards, organised by regional news website Business Desk.

Speaking in the video, Managing Director Stuart Smith said: “Our journey towards net zero started around five years ago, when we looked at our operations. We began moving our fleet to low carbon vehicles and also started helping our clients move towards more efficient and low carbon technologies.

“Clients want to make sure what they’ve got can be made to work more efficiently and reduce their energy costs as far as they can. Lord Combustion have made the Net Zero commitment to help clients improve their energy efficiency, and to remove both their and our carbon footprint.”

Director and Contracts Manager Greg Jones also features in the video. He says: “Clients coming on board now are particularly interested in seeing whether there are more efficient systems that can be implemented into their existing building systems.”

Leading Test cricket venue Edgbaston in Birmingham turned to Lord when the facilities team needed to introduce a new water system for all areas of the stadium’s £32 million South Stand, from the player changing rooms to the kitchens and corporate hospitality rooms. The work carried out at the venue contributed to Lord winning a sustainability award in 2021.

Lydia Carrington, Sustainability Manager at Edgbaston, gives Lord an endorsement in the video.

She says: “It is really great to work with people like Lord Combustion for them to provide us with new technology and new ideas about how we can continuously improve. We can put new technologies in place and keep up the momentum as we need to keep improving.”

The WMCA video release comes shortly after Lord featured in a new video from ELCO Heating Solutions promoting energy-efficient heating systems.

Lord partnered with the heating equipment manufacturer, part of the Ariston Group, to deliver a project that helped an academy secondary school in the West Midlands to reduce its carbon footprint by enhancing its heating and hot water systems.

The ELCO video shows how Lord was enlisted to undertake the design and installation of an energy efficient system, in order to assist the academy trust to work towards their decarbonisation targets.

New building management system control systems were also designed and introduced as part of the installation to enable the school to optimise their energy usage and set system levels for dates months in advance.

Having opened for business in 1982, Lord now has a team of nearly 50 staff, delivering services for more than 1,000 sites across the Midlands, including 300 schools and hundreds of health sites.

Lord won the Outstanding Support for the Armed Forces prize at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in November for providing job opportunities for service personnel.

Click on the following link to view the WMCA video case study: https://vimeo.com/887991448/359ece3d12?share=copy