From Routine Checks to Smarter Operations

For most people, an energy centre is something that simply operates in the background. It provides heating, hot water or cooling – and as long as everything works, there is little reason to think about it.

For OF Energi, that is precisely the job: making sure the systems continue to work, even when no one is thinking about them.

The company owns and operates local energy centres for housing cooperatives and residential communities. The systems may include heat pumps and geothermal wells, among other technologies, and OF Energi is responsible for ensuring that they continue to perform as intended over time.

As the number of sites began to grow, one thing became clear: manual follow-up could not scale at the same pace.

From two to more than 20 energy centres

OF Energi started with its first facility in 2018. When Lasse Isaksen joined with responsibility for technical operations at the beginning of 2024, the company had two sites.

Today, that number is around 27–28.

Previously, Isaksen had to log into several different building management systems and portals to check that everything was operating as it should. Mondays and Fridays were fixed days for routine checks.

”I had to log into five, six, seven different portals and go through each facility to see whether everything was working as it should,” says Isaksen.

The challenge is that an energy system does not necessarily stop when something is wrong. It may continue to deliver – just less efficiently than it should. A minor fault can therefore persist for some time without being obvious to either the operator or the customer.

OF Energi needed more than access to measurement data. They needed a way to know where attention was actually required.

From manual checks to notifications

With Guard Cloud, data from the energy centres is brought together in one place.

OF Energi can configure alarms based on how each individual system is expected to operate. If, for example, a heat pump fails to deliver heat within a defined period, the system can flag the deviation.

At the same time, Guard Cloud stores more information than is necessarily needed for day-to-day operations. That becomes valuable when something does happen.

”One of the great things about Guard Cloud is that we collect more data than we use on a daily basis. When something happens, that makes troubleshooting much easier,” he explains.

The difference is simple in principle: Isaksen no longer needs to spend time looking for problems in systems that are operating normally. He can direct his attention towards the ones that actually need it.

Troubleshooting before going on site

When an alarm is triggered, OF Energi can review historical data and examine how the system developed in the period leading up to the event.

If necessary, they can also use remote access to the local system to investigate the situation further.

This means that a larger part of the troubleshooting process can take place before a service partner is sent to the site.

”When we can point to where we believe the problem is, the physical troubleshooting and any subsequent repairs become much faster,” says Isaksen.

The insight also makes it easier to assess how critical the situation actually is. If a problem occurs on a Saturday, OF Energi is better equipped to determine whether it requires an immediate call-out or whether it can safely wait until normal working hours.

The data does not replace professional judgement.

It provides a better basis for applying it.

Detecting the problem before the customer does

For OF Energi, monitoring is also about the people on the other side of the energy centre.

If a system stops working, the consequence may be that residents do not receive the heating they expect.

There is a significant difference between detecting that situation yourself – and hearing about it from the customer.

”It is better for us to call and say, ’Hi, we have a problem and we are working to resolve it,’ rather than having them call us and say, ’It’s cold in here,’” says Isaksen.

The objective is therefore not simply to detect faults faster. It is to enter the sequence of events earlier – while the problem can still be managed, and before the consequences become more significant.

A solution that scales with OF Energi

Guard was selected while OF Energi still had relatively few energy centres. Today, more than half of the company’s nearly 30 facilities have been implemented in Guard Cloud, with several more being added each month over the past six months.

At the same time, Isaksen remains solely responsible for technical operations and follow-up.

When time is no longer spent on routine checks of systems that are operating normally, it can instead be used for technical work, new facilities, sales processes and the situations that genuinely require professional attention.

”That allows me to prioritise my time the way it is intended to be used,” he says.

OF Energi is now also working to bring Guard into the process earlier when new energy centres are built. At some facilities, the technical preparations are already being completed before handover, allowing Guard equipment to be connected when OF Energi takes over operations.

This makes monitoring part of how the facility is established – rather than something that has to be added later.

A partnership that continues to develop

For OF Energi, the dialogue throughout the process has also been important.

As the solution has become part of day-to-day operations, the company has provided input on functionality and ways of working. Isaksen describes the collaboration as open and constructive.

”We have made a lot of suggestions about how we think things could work, and we have very good and constructive discussions around them,” he says.

Several of these suggestions have resulted in adjustments and new solutions.

”Guard has made adjustments and found solutions for almost everything we have raised, and it seems like they have a plan and a development roadmap for most things,” Isaksen explains.

When a situation requires a rapid response, he also finds that help is readily available.

”When things have really been urgent, it has never been a problem getting Guard to respond quickly,” he says.

The fact that the companies are not necessarily located in the same place has not been a limitation either.

”We have facilities everywhere, but that has never created any obstacles or disadvantages,” says Isaksen.

From routine checks to needs-based operations

OF Energi has grown from two to almost 30 energy centres. But more facilities do not necessarily have to mean a corresponding increase in routine checks.

With Guard Cloud, follow-up has shifted from scheduled manual checks towards more needs-based operations. Alarms identify deviations. Historical data provides context. Remote access makes it possible to investigate before deciding whether an on-site visit is necessary.

The technology does not make the decisions for Isaksen.

It makes it clearer where his judgement is needed.

”With Guard Cloud, I know that if something isn’t working as it should, I’ll be notified. It saves an enormous amount of time,” Isaksen concludes.