The didactic project entitled «E-detective – The case of the missing energy» is supported by DECS and financially sponsored by the Federal Energy Office, by the SvizzeraEnergia Programme for Towns, and by the TicinoEnergia Association, as an educational and awareness-raising tool aimed at facilitating the process of reaching the Swiss energy consumption and CO2 emissions targets. In effect, education is one of the fundamental aspects of the 2010-2020 stage of the Swiss Energy programme.

The didactic project is aimed at classes in the fourth year of lower secondary school. Transformed into energy detectives, and accompanied by the teacher and by an E-detective consultant, pupils launch in-depth investigations «in the field» with the aim of identifying opportunities for renewable energy utilisation, and energy leakages at school, specifying technical and behavioural solutions in order to prevent these leakages. «The case of the missing energy» can be closed once the E-detectives have determined how to make the school more energy efficient, and once they have sent their proposals to the Canton Ticino Logistics Section, which gives its opinion on the issue. 

In the 2012-2015 period the project was successfully conducted in 12 schools, involving 660 students and 49 teachers.

Although the original project is currently suspended, teachers interested in conducting this type of activity can contact the Institute for applied sustainability to the built environment.

In any case, the project has been adapted for primary schools and for vocational schools, by means of Task 5 of project Teach, and is currently available in this revised format.