Walk one workplace and write down what you can see without opening equipment: lights left on in an empty room, a blocked heater, equipment left on, a window open while the heating is running, and a plant, boiler, gas or electrical space that stays closed. Give each observation one priority. If the check applies and things are already right, record that no action is needed and leave the owner blank. If the room has nothing for that check to look at, record that it does not apply and say why. The sheet does not estimate a saving.

This is a visual check. It is not an ESOS audit, and it does not choose a tariff. The sustainable operations guide covers the wider energy routine. The office overview describes the workplace as a whole and does not complete this room sheet.

Fill in the room checklist

Download all three files. Save a copy of the blank checklist and type into that copy. Keep the instructions file open beside it. Use the example only as a labelled pattern.

The three files are plain CSV templates. You type every cell. The spreadsheet does not choose the priority and it does not calculate a saving. This is a visual check: leave plant rooms, boilers, gas appliances and electrical spaces closed for a competent person. The instructions file lists the six checks. Add a row only by copying one of those checks. Do not add a savings check.

The six identifiers are lights_unoccupied, lights_daylight, heater_blocked, heater_and_open_window, equipment_left_on and plant_or_electrical_closed. A check with no row was not recorded. priority is fix_now, schedule, ask_specialist, no_action_needed or not_applicable.

Checks that stay on this page

fix_now is only for a change you can make without tools and without opening equipment: switch off lights in an empty room, close a window that is open while a heater is on if it is safe to close, or move a box that is blocking a heater. schedule is the same kind of change when it cannot be done during the walk.

ask_specialist is for plant rooms, boilers, electrical panels, gas appliances and anything that needs tools. Those rows stay closed. The action is Leave closed for a competent person.

no_action_needed means the check applies and the observation already shows the correct state, such as a kettle that is off. Leave action, person, date and specialist reason blank. not_applicable means the room has nothing for that check to observe, such as no opening window, and the observation says why. Leave action and person blank. Do not use not_applicable for a check that was looked at and found correct.

Do not add a temperature setpoint, a lumen target or a payback test.

How to prioritise without a saving

Order the rows by who can act.

  • A fix_now row needs a person and today’s date, or the walk date.
  • A schedule row needs a person and a later date.
  • An ask_specialist row needs the reason, and the action stays “Leave closed for a competent person”.
  • A no_action_needed row needs an observation and no action, person or date.
  • A not_applicable row needs an observation that says why the check has nothing to look at, and no person.

Do not rank rows by estimated pounds, kilowatt-hours or carbon. Business Energy Scotland’s energy-audit guide asks the reader, after the walk round, to quantify potential savings and calculate payback. This page does not do that.

Worked example: a fictional office walk

The example is a fictional walk-through for Northgate Studio on 9 March 2026 at 18:10, kitchen only. It is not a real office and not an energy saving. lights_daylight is not in the example, because that check was not recorded.

Check Observation Priority Action, person, date
Lights in an empty room Lights on, room empty fix_now Switch the lights off. Office coordinator. 9 March 2026.
Equipment left on Kettle off no_action_needed Blank. The check applied and was already correct.
Window open while heating No opening window in this kitchen not_applicable Blank. There was nothing for the check to observe.
Blocked heater Box against the radiator schedule Move the box. Office coordinator. 10 March 2026.
Plant or electrical space Boiler cupboard shut ask_specialist Leave closed for a competent person. Reason: not opened. The observation does not describe the boiler.

A walk can finish with only no_action_needed rows. No money figures are recorded.

This is not an ESOS audit

The GOV.UK ESOS page, last updated 2 September 2026, says phase 4 applies to large UK undertakings and their corporate groups. On the qualification date 31 December 2026, a large undertaking employs 250 or more people, or has an annual turnover above £44 million and an annual balance sheet total above £38 million. A corporate group qualifies if at least one UK group member meets that test. Qualifying organisations notify through MESOS by 5 December 2027.

This sheet is a visual walk. It is not an ESOS audit and it is not that notification. Fewer than 250 employees is not, by itself, a statement that the organisation is outside ESOS. The turnover test, the balance-sheet test and the group test remain on the GOV.UK page.

Limits

The sheet does not show that energy use fell, that a bill will fall, or that a tariff should change. This checklist does not read the bill. copy one electricity bill into a log. It does not set a heating temperature. It does not replace a competent person for gas, electrical or plant work. It does not feed SECR or a carbon total.

Before you describe this walk in public as a cut in energy use, read the green claims code.

Sources

Accessed 8 October 2026.

  • Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), GOV.UK, last updated 2 September 2026. Phase 4 qualification, the large-undertaking tests, the 31 December 2026 qualification date, the 5 December 2027 notification deadline, and the group test.
  • How to audit your business energy consumption, Business Energy Scotland. The sections that ask the reader to quantify savings and calculate payback. That method is not used here. The page is aimed at organisations using that Scottish service.