Observe workplace energy use—without adjusting equipment

Fictional example: Northstar Works uses this walkthrough on an office floor to help facilities colleagues and employee volunteers notice and document visible conditions. The exercise is observational only: participants do not touch, adjust, open, or troubleshoot equipment.

Open-plan office floor with desks and meeting pods

A 45-minute walkthrough agenda

Illustrative workshop timings—not a measured standard. The facilitator can adapt the pace to the approved local scope.

Time Activity What the group does
0–5 min Orient Confirm the area in scope, observation-only boundary, and how findings will be handed off.
5–25 min Observe Walk the agreed route; note visible conditions in shared spaces without interrupting work.
25–35 min Compare notes Separate direct observations from questions or assumptions; clarify where and when each was noticed.
35–45 min Route findings Send routine observations to the facilities owner through the established local handoff; use the organization's urgent-issue route for an immediate concern.

Prompts for what to observe

Record what is visible and the context. Do not infer a cause, savings, or equipment fault from appearance alone.

Lighting and daylight

Note which lights appear on or off, the area, and whether daylight is present.

Occupied and unoccupied spaces

Record whether a room or area appeared occupied during the pass and what visible conditions you noticed.

Visible controls

Note the presence and location of visible controls only. Do not operate or test them.

Equipment left on

If equipment is visibly on, record its location and the time observed. Do not switch it off or investigate its settings.

Write evidence, not conclusions

A useful note makes the place, time, and visible condition clear enough for the facilities team to assess.

Observation

Illustrative evidence entry

East meeting pod; appeared empty during the pass; lights visibly on; observed at 10:20. Route to the facilities team to assess.

  • Location: East meeting pod
  • Context and time: appeared empty during the pass, 10:20
  • Observation and handoff: lights visibly on; facilities team to assess
Not established

Avoid unsupported assumptions

“The lights waste energy because the controls are broken” asserts a cause that the walkthrough did not establish.

  • Record “lights visibly on” rather than diagnosing a fault.
  • Do not estimate energy use or savings from a visual observation.
  • Leave assessment and any follow-up to the facilities owner.

Choose the appropriate handoff

Facilities and Sustainability is the proposed content owner for this example; local ownership and routes depend on the facility's operating arrangements.

Routine observation

Record the location, time, and visible condition, then send it to the organization's established facilities owner or reporting route.

  • Keep the note factual.
  • Include enough context to identify the area.
  • Do not present the observation as a confirmed fault.

Immediate concern

Pause the walkthrough and follow the organization's established urgent-issue route. The route is local; this page does not name or replace it.

  • Do not investigate or adjust equipment.
  • Use the applicable local process rather than waiting for routine walkthrough notes.
  • Resume only when it is appropriate under that process.