Electricity powers almost everything around you. In this badge you'll learn how it works, how to stay safe around it, and how to build simple projects of your own. You'll also see how your home's electrical system and bill work.
Why it's worth it
Electricity runs almost everything you touch, and understanding it makes you safer and more useful at home. On this badge you'll build an electromagnet, trace a room's wiring back to its breaker, read your family's meter and bill, and build two projects that actually work. You'll know what to do in an electrical emergency and why a fuse or breaker trips, and you'll have a head start on careers from electrician to power engineer.
Start this week
- With a parent, find your home's breaker panel or fuse box and look at the labels without opening it.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of an Electricity counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- Find the meter reading on your family's last electric bill, then read your meter today and write down the number for requirement 8.
- Gather supplies for an electromagnet: an iron nail, insulated wire, a D-cell battery, and some paper clips.
Stay safe
- Work only with batteries and low-voltage projects unless an adult who knows electrical work is helping. Never open your home's breaker panel or work on household wiring.
- Stay far away from downed power lines and call 911. Assume any fallen wire is live.
Requirements · 11
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Responding to electrical emergencies
Tips for this section: Learn the first rule: never touch someone who is still in contact with live electricity. Practice what you would do and who you would call.
Example for this section: Walk through it with a parent: if someone is touching a live wire, don't touch them. Shut off power at the breaker if you can, call 911, and only use something dry and nonconducting, like a wooden broom handle, to separate them if it's safe.
- Requirement 1a
Explain how to shut off power to one circuit and to the whole house in an emergency
- Requirement 1b
Demonstrate how to rescue someone at home who is touching a live wire
- Requirement 1c
Describe how to get out of a car safely after a crash if a power line may be lying on it
- Requirement 1d
Show first aid for someone knocked unconscious by what seems to be an electric shock
- Requirement 1e
Show how to treat an electrical burn
- Requirement 1f
Explain what to do if there's an electrical fire
- Requirement 1g
Explain what to do if you're caught out in the open during a lightning storm
- Requirement 2
Inspect your home for electrical safety using the checklist from the merit badge pamphlet or one your counselor approves, then discuss the results with your counselor
Tip: Walk through your home with a parent looking at cords, outlets, and overloaded power strips. Write down anything that needs fixing.
For example: A home inspection checklist: frayed or pinched cords, cords under rugs, power strips plugged into power strips, outlets near water without GFCI protection, and light bulbs over the fixture's wattage. Share your list with your family.
- Requirement 3
Build a simple electromagnet and use it to demonstrate magnetic attraction and repulsion
Tip: Wrap wire around an iron nail and connect it to a battery with an adult's help. Test it with paper clips and another magnet.
For example: Wrap 20 to 30 turns of wire around an iron nail and connect a battery with an adult. Count how many paper clips it lifts, then add more turns and count again. Use a compass or bar magnet to show both ends attract and repel.
- Requirement 4
Kinds of current and power sources
Tips for this section: Compare the batteries in a flashlight with the outlets in your wall, and look up how power plants, solar panels, and batteries make electricity.
- Requirement 4a
Explain how direct and alternating current differ, the pros and cons of each, and a practical use for each
- Requirement 4b
Explain three ways electricity is generated
- Requirement 5
Draw a simple diagram of how an electric bell works with a battery, and describe what each part does
Tip: Use a library book or a cutaway diagram to sketch the inside of a battery and a bell, then explain each part in your own words.
- Requirement 6
Overloads, fuses, and breakers
Tips for this section: With a parent, look at your home's breaker panel or fuse box, but don't open it. Talk about what happens when too much is plugged in.
- Requirement 6a
Explain what it means to overload a circuit and what you've done to keep your home's circuits from being overloaded
- Requirement 6b
Check whether a branch circuit is overloaded, either by finding the current draw of everything plugged into it or by calculating the draws with the power equation
- Requirement 6c
Explain why fuses blow and circuit breakers trip
- Requirement 6d
Tell how to locate a blown fuse and a tripped breaker in your home, and show how to reset the breaker safely
- Requirement 7
Draw a floor plan wiring diagram of one room in your home showing its lights, switches, and outlets and which fuse or breaker protects each
Tip: Pick one room, find its breaker, and sketch the outlets, switches, and lights. Label which switch controls what.
For example: Pick your bedroom. Flip the breaker off with a parent and test which outlets and lights go dark. Draw them with standard symbols and label the breaker number and amp rating.
- Requirement 8
Electric bills and saving energy
Tips for this section: Find the meter reading on your last bill, then read your meter today to see how much you've used since. Look over the other charges on the bill and brainstorm ways to save.
Example for this section: If your last bill shows a reading of 34,112 and your meter reads 34,540 today, your home has used 428 kilowatt-hours since that bill. Multiply by the rate on your bill to find the cost, then talk about ways your family could save, like LED bulbs or unplugging chargers.
- Requirement 8a
Read the meter tied to your electric bill and work out how much power has been used since the bill and what it costs
- Requirement 8b
Explain any other charges on the bill that are taxes or fees
- Requirement 8c
Talk with your counselor about five ways your family could save energy
- Requirement 9
Electrical terms and equipment
Tips for this section: Make flash cards for terms like volt, amp, ohm, and watt. Quiz yourself until they stick.
- Requirement 9a
Explain these terms: voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy
- Requirement 9b
Explain these units: volts, amperes (amps), ohms, watts, and watt-hours
- Requirement 9c
Explain these electrical conditions: ground, open circuit, short circuit, overvoltage, potential difference, and a generating source (with an example)
- Requirement 9d
Explain what each of these is and how it's used: conductor, insulator, circuit, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), surge protection, rheostat, rectifier, inverter, transformer, substation, transmission and distribution systems, solar panel, and wind turbine
- Requirement 10
Hands-on electrical projects. Choose 2 of 6
Tips for this section: Choose projects that interest you and always work with low voltage and an adult nearby.
Example for this section: Two projects might be a simple motor from a kit your counselor approved ahead of time, and two bulbs wired first in series and then in parallel so you can see how the brightness changes. Use batteries, and have an adult check your work before you switch it on.
- Requirement 10a
Wire a buzzer, bell, or light to a battery with a key or switch in the circuit
- Requirement 10b
Build and run a simple electric motor (a kit is fine if your counselor approves it in advance)
- Requirement 10c
Build a simple rheostat and show that it works
- Requirement 10d
Build a single-pole, double-throw switch and show that it works
- Requirement 10e
Explain how a 3-way switch is wired in a lighting circuit
- Requirement 10f
Wire two lights in series with a battery and a switch, then rewire the same circuit in parallel, and discuss how the two circuits differ
- Requirement 11
Name three careers that use knowledge of electricity; for one of them, research its training, education, certification, experience, and costs, plus job outlook, starting pay, and advancement; discuss with your counselor what you learned and whether the career interests you
Tip: Talk with an electrician, engineer, or utility worker about their job and how they trained for it.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A power plant, substation, or utility service center
See how electricity is made or switched, and talk with line workers about the gear that keeps them safe.
How: Have an adult contact your electric utility's community or education office and ask about tours for youth groups.
A trade school or electrical apprenticeship training center
See where electricians learn: practice walls full of switches, panels, and conduit.
How: An adult can call and ask whether a group of Scouts could visit during a class or open house.
Where it can lead
- ElectricianWires homes and buildings; usually trained through a paid apprenticeship.
- Line workerBuilds and repairs power lines, often after storms, for utility companies.
- Electrical engineerDesigns power systems, motors, and electronics.
- Solar installerMounts and connects solar panels; one of the fastest-growing trades.
- Power plant operatorControls the equipment that generates electricity for a region.
Ask yourself
- What surprised you most when you traced where your home's electricity goes?
- Which electrical hazard did you find at home, and what did your family do about it?
- What did it feel like when your first circuit or electromagnet worked?
- How has reading the meter changed the way you use electricity?
- What would you like to build next now that you understand circuits?
Good questions to ask an electrician or utility worker
- What's the most dangerous mistake you see people make at home with electricity?
- How did you train for this job, and how long did it take?
- What happens at the power plant and on the lines before electricity reaches my outlet?
- How is the electrical system changing with solar panels and electric cars?
- What do you check first when something in a house stops working?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Set up a build night with batteries, wire, and switches so Scouts can work on projects together.
- Invite an electrician or utility safety expert to talk about electrical hazards.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Your local electric utility — Many offer safety materials and energy-saving tips.
- U.S. Department of Energy (opens in a new tab) — Explains how electricity is produced and how to save energy.
- PhET Interactive Simulations (opens in a new tab) — Free University of Colorado simulations for building circuits and testing magnets.
- Energy Explained (opens in a new tab) — How electricity is made, moved, and used in the U.S., from the Energy Information Administration.
- National Fire Protection Association (opens in a new tab) — How electrical fires start and how families prevent them.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.