Unisport chooses Guard Automation for cost-effective winter operation of artificial turf pitches

Unisport delivers sports equipment and athletic facilities throughout the Nordic region. Now the company has entered into a partnership agreement with the technology company Guard Automation regarding intelligent control technology for the winter operation of artificial turf pitches.

”Poor energy management is a major problem on many artificial turf pitches. Our experience shows that sports clubs can save hundreds of thousands of kroner every single winter with new control technology,” begins Jon Egil Ek at the technology company Guard Automation.

Per Ulseth of Unisport supports this: ”Many sports clubs have probably considered closing their artificial turf pitches this winter because heating is too expensive. Fortunately, new technology can ensure smarter energy management, making winter operations both cheaper and easier,” says Ulseth, who has over twenty years of experience supporting sports clubs in planning facilities.

Lower costs, less energy use and fewer worries

Ulseth estimates that there are 1,700-1,800 artificial turf pitches in Norway, and that approximately 10 per cent have undersoil heating.

”Often, simple ground sensors control the heating, and the heat output is frequently set to full blast or completely turned off. This is by no means ideal,” Ulseth explains.

Since 2019, Guard Automation has developed a sensor-free and cloud-based service that automatically optimises the heating of artificial turf pitches during the winter.

”The solution is currently in use in a few locations, such as the stadium of the Eliteserien club Odd Ballklubb. This has been highly successful. The result is lower costs, less unnecessary energy consumption and fewer worries,” says Ek, and continues:

”We are now confident that the technology will be able to make the operation of artificial turf pitches in the Nordic region much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective, and we are therefore pleased to have established a partnership with Unisport. This will mean a lot for the finances of both large and small sports clubs.”

Sensor-free solution ensures smooth installation on both new and existing facilities

The cloud-based service, Guard Field Smart, predicts the weather and calculates how much energy is required to ensure optimal pitch conditions. Sports clubs have a complete overview at all times through a digital portal.

”A major advantage of this technology is that it is free of sensors. This means the solution can easily be adopted in both new and existing facilities,” says Ulseth.

At Skagerak Arena, the home ground of Odd Ballklubb, the Guard Field Smart technology has been tested on two artificial turf pitches. In the first year the solution was in place, the total energy costs for both pitches were reduced by a whopping NOK 600,000 compared to the previous year.