Like many buildings, Emirates Stadium is heavily reliant on natural gas fuelled boilers to provide the hot water. As a fossil fuel, natural gas is a substantial contributor to our CO2 emissions. As such, we are working on ways to be able to reduce our consumption. 

The technology for this type of project is changing and evolving all the time. Before embarking on a project the size of Emirates Stadium, we have been able to take the opportunity to trial electric alternatives to gas boilers as part of renovation works to our administrative centre, Highbury House, which sits at the end of the Ken Friar Bridge.

Replacing the aging and inefficient gas boilers with new ultra efficient R32 hybrid VRF system will provide the offices with heating and cooling as well as the hot water for washing. We will be able to monitor the efficiency of this technology and gauge its suitability for the more challenging Sohba Realty Training Centre and of course Emirates Stadium.

The use of electricity to heat and cool is part of our pathway towards net zero. But we also need to make sure we are as efficient as possible. We have already started to install energy-saving measures and will continue to do so to reduce our overall demand for power. Only buying renewable electricity is also crucial and something we have been doing since starting our partnership with Octopus back in 2016. Our electricity remains 100 per cent renewable and we are able to track where it is generated across several sites used by Octopus.

Decarbonising is a long and technically challenging journey, but with our redevelopment of Highbury House, it is a journey we are excited to have started.