Indoor Pitch Running Costs
On a 30 × 50 m indoor football pitch, heating and ventilation add TRY 85,000 – 1,540,000 of initial investment on top of the construction cost and a monthly energy bill of TRY 15,000 – 186,000 in winter; the heating system and the roof cover account for the difference.
Three Levels
Short answer: On a 30 × 50 m indoor football pitch, unheated use with mechanical ventilation needs TRY 85,000 – 210,000 of additional investment and about TRY 15,000 – 28,000 a month in winter electricity. Electric infrared heating means TRY 505,000 – 1,160,000 of investment and a winter bill of TRY 87,000 – 186,000; gas-fired radiant tubes mean TRY 655,000 – 1,540,000 and TRY 47,000 – 114,000. Figures are 2026 market estimates, are not included in the per-m² pitch band and use sample energy tariffs.
Our indoor pitch band (TRY 3,500 – 4,500/m²) covers natural ventilation openings and interior LED lighting. Heating, mechanical ventilation and their electrical or gas infrastructure are optional additional items; the cards group them into three levels for a 30 × 50 m pitch.
Natural + mechanical ventilation, no heating
85,000 – 210,000 TRY additional investment
Included at this level
Winter monthly bill: ≈ TRY 15,000 – 28,000
Ceiling-mounted radiant heaters + ventilation
505,000 – 1,160,000 TRY additional investment
Included at this level
Winter monthly bill: ≈ TRY 87,000 – 186,000
Flued radiant tubes + mechanical ventilation
655,000 – 1,540,000 TRY additional investment
Included at this level
Winter monthly bill: ≈ TRY 47,000 – 114,000
The fourth option, a gas-fired warm air unit heater, appears in the comparison table. Whether a transformer is needed, and what it costs, is determined separately through the connection assessment of the electricity distribution company.
2026 market estimate See indoor pitch prices per m² and what they include →
Itemised Breakdown
Each row total is the unit price range multiplied by the typical quantity. The last column shows each item as a share of the 30 × 50 m indoor pitch construction cost (TRY 5,250,000 – 6,750,000).
| Item | Unit price | Typical quantity | Total (TRY) | Share of pitch cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted exhaust fan with shutters (installed) | TRY 15,000 – 25,000/unit | 4 – 6 units | 60,000 – 150,000 | 0.9 – 2.9% |
| Humidity- and temperature-sensing fan control | TRY 25,000 – 60,000/set | 1 set | 25,000 – 60,000 | 0.4 – 1.1% |
| Ceiling-mounted electric infrared heater (installed) | TRY 3,000 – 5,000/kW | 90 – 120 kW | 270,000 – 600,000 | 4.0 – 11.4% |
| Switchboard, cabling and power factor correction for the power upgrade (excl. transformer) | TRY 150,000 – 350,000/set | 1 set | 150,000 – 350,000 | 2.2 – 6.7% |
| Gas-fired radiant tube heater (incl. flue and installation) | TRY 4,500 – 7,000/kW | 100 – 150 kW | 450,000 – 1,050,000 | 6.7 – 20.0% |
| Gas-fired warm air unit heater (installed) | TRY 1,800 – 3,000/kW | 150 – 250 kW | 270,000 – 750,000 | 4.0 – 14.3% |
| Ceiling-mounted destratification fan | TRY 12,000 – 20,000/unit | 4 – 8 units | 48,000 – 160,000 | 0.7 – 3.0% |
| Internal gas piping, gas design and utility connection | TRY 120,000 – 280,000/set | 1 set | 120,000 – 280,000 | 1.8 – 5.3% |
2026 market estimate; confirmed at the site survey according to equipment brand, installed capacity and site conditions. In the share column, the lower limit is the lowest item total divided by the highest pitch cost, and the upper limit is the highest item total divided by the lowest pitch cost.
Heating Options
There are two ways to heat a high-ceilinged hall: heat the air, or heat the surfaces of the players and the pitch by radiation. Because warm air rises to the roof, heating the air is expensive; radiant systems deliver heat directly at player level.
Infrared heaters are suspended below the trusses or from the roof and give off heat as soon as they are switched on. They need no flue, gas line or boiler room, and their initial investment is lower than that of a gas-fired system. On the other hand, with the sample tariffs a kilowatt-hour of heat costs roughly 2.3 – 2.5 times as much from electricity (TRY 4.50 – 5.50/kWh) as from natural gas (TRY 1.80 – 2.40/kWh); on a pitch that runs long hours, the bill grows quickly. Because the installed load rises, the contracted power capacity has to be increased.
Best suited to: Facilities without a gas supply, pitches heated for only a few hours a day, or those heating only zones such as the stands, entrance and player shelters.
Hot combustion gases from the burner pass through steel tubes suspended from the roof and heat the tube surface; reflectors direct that heat downwards. Because combustion products are exhausted through a flue, no water vapour enters the hall. With open-flame ceramic radiant heaters, by contrast, combustion products remain inside and raise the risk of condensation. This is the level with the highest initial investment; it requires a gas design and internal gas piping.
Best suited to: Operators close to a gas main whose pitch will be fully booked for long hours throughout the winter; membrane-covered pitches included.
Gas-fired unit heaters warm the air and blow it into the hall with a fan. The cost per unit is low and the hall feels warm quickly. However, warm air rises to the roof, so destratification fans are needed to bring it down to player level. Under a single-layer membrane, warm air collecting beneath the cover increases both heat loss and condensation, which is why installed capacity is kept higher than for a radiant system to achieve the same comfort.
Best suited to: Buildings with an insulated cover such as sandwich panels and a relatively low ceiling height.
An indoor pitch can also be operated without heating: the cover keeps out wind, rain and snow, and the pace of play warms players up quickly. In this model the investment goes into ventilation and condensation control rather than heating. On cold evenings, heating the changing rooms and stands separately is far more economical than heating the whole hall.
Best suited to: Match-focused operators with an active player base who aim to keep winter evenings booked through competitive pricing.
| System | Installed heating capacity | Additional initial investment (TRY) | Winter monthly bill (TRY) | Suitable cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unheated, mechanically ventilated | None | 85,000 – 210,000 | 15,000 – 28,000 | Any cover type |
| Electric infrared heating | 90 – 120 kW | 505,000 – 1,160,000 | 87,000 – 186,000 | Membrane and sandwich panel |
| Gas-fired radiant tube | 100 – 150 kW | 655,000 – 1,540,000 | 47,000 – 114,000 | Membrane and sandwich panel |
| Gas-fired warm air unit heater | 150 – 250 kW | 523,000 – 1,400,000 | 63,000 – 172,000 | Mainly sandwich panel |
Roof Cover and Heat Loss
The cover determines the heating bill before the system does. Heat lost through a surface is found with the formula Q = U × A × ΔT: U is the thermal transmittance of the cover (W/m²K), A is the roof and wall area, and ΔT is the temperature difference between inside and outside.
On a 30 × 50 m indoor pitch, the roof and wall area comes to roughly 2,600 m². In a continental climate such as that of Ankara, where we are based, December–February nights regularly fall below freezing, so the example assumes 12 °C inside and 0 °C outside (ΔT = 12 °C); on the coldest nights the difference doubles. For a project in another climate, use your local winter design temperature for ΔT.
A single-layer membrane loses roughly 9 – 17 times as much heat as an insulated sandwich panel. On a membrane-covered pitch, the aim is therefore not to heat the whole volume but to provide comfort at player level with radiant heating. Under sandwich panels, the same equipment warms the hall faster, the thermostat cuts out more often, and a warm air unit heater also becomes a reasonable option. The construction cost of the roof systems themselves is outside the scope of this page; only their effect on heat loss is covered here.
| Cover type | Typical U-value (W/m²K) | Heat loss (ΔT = 12 °C) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-layer PVC membrane | 5.00 – 6.00 | 156 – 187 kW |
| Double-layer membrane (with air gap) | 2.50 – 3.00 | 78 – 94 kW |
| Insulated sandwich panel | 0.35 – 0.55 | 11 – 17 kW |
U-values are typical approximate figures; the exact value is taken from the manufacturer’s product data sheet. Heat removed by ventilation is not included in the calculation.
Ventilation and Condensation
Ventilation in an indoor pitch protects the building and the turf before it provides comfort. If the air is not changed often enough, moisture condenses on the inner face of the cover, drips down and builds up in the artificial turf infill.
Players running through a match sweat and breathe rapidly; two teams release a considerable amount of water vapour into the hall within an hour. Infill that does not dry between sessions, water carried in on shoes on rainy days and the combustion products of open-flame heaters add to this load.
When humid air touches a cold surface, it releases the water it carries. In winter the coldest surface is the inner face of the cover, and with a single-layer membrane that surface is very close to the outdoor temperature. Dripping from the roof, rust marks at steel connections and damp at the base of the walls are the first signs.
Infill that does not dry mixes with sweat and dust and starts to smell; mould stains can form in corners and behind the goals, where airflow is weak. This spoils the player experience, raises cleaning costs and shortens the life of the artificial turf.
LED Lighting
On an outdoor pitch the lights come on in the evening; on an indoor pitch the cover blocks much of the daylight, so the lighting runs from opening to closing. That is why lighting makes up most of the electricity bill of an unheated indoor pitch.
8 – 12 kW
Total LED fixtures for a 30 × 50 m pitch at recreational lighting level
2,880 – 4,320 kWh
8 – 12 kW × 12 hours × 30 days
TRY 13,000 – 24,000
2,880 – 4,320 kWh × TRY 4.50 – 5.50/kWh
On an unheated pitch, lighting accounts for 86 – 89% of the winter bill. Once electric infrared heating is added, that share falls to 13 – 15%; from then on, heating drives the bill.
Choosing a higher illumination level for tournaments or broadcasting (EN 12193 lighting classes) raises installed capacity and consumption as well. Under a translucent membrane, some fixtures can be switched off around midday in summer; the calculation ignores this saving and assumes full operating hours.
Monthly Bill Scenarios
The scenarios are for a 30 × 50 m indoor pitch with a single-layer membrane cover. Electricity and natural gas unit prices are sample commercial tariffs in Türkiye; replace them with the tax-inclusive unit rates on your own bills to run the same calculation for your facility, wherever it is located.
| Scenario | Winter monthDecember – February | Shoulder monthNovember and March | Summer monthJune – August |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unheated, mechanically ventilated | 15,000 – 28,000 | 15,000 – 30,000 | 17,000 – 34,000 |
| Electric infrared heating | 87,000 – 186,000 | 40,000 – 89,000 | 17,000 – 34,000 |
| Gas-fired radiant tube | 47,000 – 114,000 | 26,000 – 62,000 | 17,000 – 34,000 |
| Gas-fired warm air unit heater | 63,000 – 172,000 | 32,000 – 84,000 | 17,000 – 34,000 |
In the ranges, lower values are multiplied with lower values and upper values with upper values; the table is rounded to the nearest thousand. Fixed subscription and capacity charges, reactive energy charges, hot water for the changing rooms, burner electricity of gas appliances and the consumption of destratification fans are not included in the scenarios.
8 – 12 kW × 12 hours × 30 days = 2,880 – 4,320 kWh
3 – 6 kW × 4 hours × 30 days = 360 – 720 kWh
3,240 – 5,040 kWh × TRY 4.50 – 5.50/kWh = TRY 14,580 – 27,720
100 – 150 kW × 6 – 8 hours × 30 days = 18,000 – 36,000 kWh; ÷ 10 = 1,800 – 3,600 m³
1,800 – 3,600 m³ × TRY 18 – 24/m³ = TRY 32,400 – 86,400
TRY 14,580 – 27,720 + TRY 32,400 – 86,400 = TRY 46,980 – 114,120 (rounded in the table: TRY 47,000 – 114,000)
Calculate the pitch construction cost with your own dimensions →
Payback on Insulation
Because the extra cost of an insulated cover depends on the roof system and product, payback is more accurately expressed as a ratio than as an amount. We compared the same gas-fired radiant system (100 – 150 kW) under a single-layer membrane and under sandwich panels.
| Winter month (gas-fired radiant tube) | Single-layer membrane | Sandwich panel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-load equivalent time (hours/day) | 6 – 8 | 3 – 4 | 3 – 4 |
| Monthly natural gas (m³) | 1,800 – 3,600 | 900 – 1,800 | 900 – 1,800 |
| Monthly natural gas cost (TRY) | 32,400 – 86,400 | 16,200 – 43,200 | 16,200 – 43,200 |
| Winter season, 3 months (TRY) | 97,200 – 259,200 | 48,600 – 129,600 | 48,600 – 129,600 |
Payback (winters) = extra cost of insulation ÷ winter season saving. With a seasonal saving of TRY 48,600 – 129,600, every TRY 100,000 of extra spend on insulation pays back in roughly 0.8 – 2.1 winters.
Savings in the shoulder months, lower maintenance costs from reduced condensation and the easier booking of a warm hall on winter evenings are not included in this calculation; the real payback is therefore shorter than calculated.
A full-load equivalent time of 3 – 4 hours for sandwich panels is a sample assumption. The difference in heat loss is larger than this; however, because a radiant system heats surfaces rather than the air in the hall, consumption does not fall in the same proportion as heat loss.
Savings and Pitfalls
Worth cutting
Dividing the radiant system into separate zones for the playing area, stands and entrance avoids heating empty stands or an unused half of the pitch. A thermostat per zone is among the extras that pay back fastest.
Worth cutting
Switching heaters on shortly before a session and off with the last one eliminates equipment running through empty hours. Radiant systems heat up quickly, so there is no need to switch them on hours in advance.
Worth cutting
A service door left open and a cover that lets wind in at its lower edge carry the heaters’ output outside. An air-curtained entrance and edge seals are a small item compared with the heating system.
Do not cut
Switching the fans off to keep the heat in lowers the bill in the first month; then come condensation, dripping, mould and rust. Protecting the turf and the steel costs far more than the fan electricity.
Do not cut
Infrared heaters added without a power upgrade trip the breakers; if they share a circuit with the lighting, the hall can go dark mid-match. Switchboard and cable sizing should not be finalised before the heater capacity is known.
Do not cut
If the load of roof-suspended heaters, the gas line route and the flue outlets are not allowed for in the structural design from the start, adding heating later means extra steel and dismantling work on the roof.
Review the other items needed to open the facility for business →
Common Questions
Yes. Because the cover keeps out wind, rain and snow, an unheated hall can be used on winter evenings too; comfort depends on the outdoor temperature and on player expectations. In this model the additional investment for a 30 × 50 m pitch stays at TRY 85,000 – 210,000, and the winter monthly bill is about TRY 15,000 – 28,000. On cold nights, heating the changing rooms and stands separately is far more economical than heating the whole hall.
Electricity wins on initial investment, natural gas on running costs. With the sample tariffs, a kilowatt-hour of heat costs TRY 1.80 – 2.40/kWh from natural gas and TRY 4.50 – 5.50/kWh from electricity. For a 30 × 50 m membrane-covered pitch, the winter monthly bill works out at about TRY 87,000 – 186,000 with electric infrared and about TRY 47,000 – 114,000 with gas-fired radiant tubes. Infrared is more economical for a pitch heated for a few hours a day; gas is more economical for a pitch fully booked for long hours.
It does, because infrared heats the players and the pitch surface that the radiation reaches, not the air. Under a single-layer membrane, heating the air loses most of the heat through the cover, while radiant heating is far less affected by that loss. The heaters should be distributed evenly over the playing area and fitted with protective guards or positioned above the ceiling net to protect them from ball strikes.
Warm air is lighter and rises to the roof; in a high-ceilinged hall, player level stays cool while the warmest air collects just under the cover and is lost from there. The same comfort therefore needs a higher installed capacity than a radiant system: the example assumes 150 – 250 kW for unit heaters and 100 – 150 kW for radiant tubes. Destratification fans close part of this gap by pushing warm air back down.
Dripping is humid indoor air condensing on the cold surface of the cover. The solution has three steps: remove moisture with sensor-controlled exhaust fans, plan air inlets low and outlets high, and avoid open-flame heaters. The permanent solution is a double-layer membrane or an insulated cover that raises the inner surface temperature.
The infill needs to dry. Ventilating the hall hard for a short time after the last session, limiting wet shoes at the entrance with mats and grilles, and aerating the infill by brushing all prevent odour. Areas with weak airflow, such as corners and the space behind the goals, should be checked separately during maintenance.
On the example 30 × 50 m pitch, LED lighting accounts for 8 – 12 kW and exhaust fans for 3 – 6 kW. Adding electric infrared heating raises the total installed load to 101 – 138 kW, a level that usually requires an application to increase the contracted capacity. Whether a transformer is needed, and the connection terms, are confirmed by the electricity distribution company. With a gas-fired system, electrical demand stays at lighting and fan level.
Yes, but the structure must first be checked to confirm that it can carry the load of the heaters. For gas, the internal piping route and flue outlets are redesigned; for electricity, the switchboard capacity. Even if you do not install heating in the first phase, allowing for suspension points and the cable or gas route in the construction design avoids extra steel and dismantling costs later.
Multiply the installed capacity of each appliance (kW) by its daily running hours and by the number of days in the month; for electrical appliances, multiply the result by the tax-inclusive kWh unit rate on your bill. For gas appliances, divide the kilowatt-hours by the energy content of 1 m³ of natural gas (10 kWh) to convert them to cubic metres, then multiply by the price per m³. Because heaters cycle on and off under thermostat control, use the full-load equivalent time rather than clock hours.
Cover insulation, zoned heating and a timer linked to bookings. In the example, an insulated sandwich panel saves TRY 48,600 – 129,600 over one winter season with the same radiant system. Zoning and timers eliminate heating empty stands and empty hours; the three measures complement each other.
Next Step
At the site survey, the roof cover, heating choice and ventilation layout are assessed together; in the quotation, heating and ventilation items are shown on separate lines from the pitch cost.
2026 starting bands for outdoor and indoor pitches, and what the price includes.
Choose your pitch type and dimensions to see the construction cost range instantly.
Scope of the steel structure, cover, ventilation openings and interior lighting.
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