If you want to go review units concepts with students in class, you will need the following: 

• meter sticks (1 per group of 2)
• balances (> 1kg capacity) - We used three balances with classes of 24-26. 

In this project students will analyze the electricity usage of a single family home with four residents and determine how to reduce the electricity consumption by 50% on a yearly basis.  They will look for opportunities to remove loads, reduce use, and replace appliances/devices with more efficient models.  They will also determine which appliances or devices consume the most energy on an annual basis to inform their decisions.  As a part of this analysis they will conduct engineering economic analysis to determine the family's savings over eight years. 

The students will be given a spreadsheet with household power and energy data for each device.  Using the spreadsheet, they will modify rows as they find opportunities to reduce electricity consumption, providing notes and reporting references in support of their decisions.  They will produce a final spreadsheet with before and after for annual energy use along with a short technical report summarizing findings, recommendations, and a reflection on what two changes make the greatest difference. Individual students will personally reflect on if they would be willing to live in a house with these electricity reductions.