This is a fun activity for your team to get everyone involved in actively saving energy! Get your people up and away from their desks on their way to your Christmas meeting! You can do this during or after hours; you can find some interesting results when your building is ‘closed’! This is especially important before you leave for the Christmas break.
Staff who help “discover treasure” could take ownership of projects, ensure completion and create lasting energy awareness. You could also give prizes to people who spot some saving opportunities!!
Before You Start
- Pick an area to search
- Bring basics: Smartphone camera, clipboard, pen
- Estimate time to treasure hunt depending on your building
The Treasure Hunt
Move around your allocated space either alone, in pairs or as a team! Take pictures of what you find and make some simple notes (the location, what you found, is it an easy fix or will you need help?)
What you could look for:
☐ Lights left on in empty offices, bathrooms, storage rooms
☐ Doors/windows left open while heating is on
☐ Electronic equipment (computers, monitors, printers) left on standby overnight
☐ Check if vending machines have sleep mode settings (look for control panels)
☐ Are thermostats set reasonably? (19-23°C)
☐ Are air vents blocked by furniture or boxes?
☐ Can you remove bulbs in over-lit areas?
☐ Areas where you can feel drafts
Celebration Time! Even finding 3-5 simple fixes makes your first hunt worthwhile. Celebrate your wins with a quick debrief over a well-deserved Christmas drink.
Track Your Success
✅ Take before and after photos of problems you fix
✅ Note monthly energy bills for 3 months after
✅ Target realistic savings: 5%+ reduction is a great first hunt!
✅ Share the results with everyone and celebrate your success!
The Treasure Hunt is adapted from one of over 600 actions in the Giki Actions platform. This is just one of the actions from the Giki Actions Workshop. Take advantage of the opportunity to build your own action plan by joining the next workshop here: Build your 2026 Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Action plan in 60 minutes – Staffordshire Business & Environment Network