Lessons Learned: Gaming for Novel Optimization of Managing Energy Systems for Homes (GNOMES for Homes)

In this paper, we discuss the design, execution, and lessons learned from a semester-long undergraduate student competition titled "Gaming for Novel Optimization of Managing Energy Systems for Homes (GNOMES for Homes)."The competition challenged current University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) students to devise algorithmic strategies to operate electric devices within a simulated residential building environment.Via a public "leaderboard," students were able to view their agent's performance compared to other competitors.While some student teams updated their entries regularly throughout the semester, many did not.We discuss our analysis of why some student teams were more invested than others and provide insights into how similar competitions could be revised in the future to improve participation.