Genesis is the Biggest Loser, Again!

Last year, Genesis of Ann Arbor was presented with a Battle of the Buildings Award for reducing water use by 60.23% (2023 vs 2022). This year, Genesis was again the biggest loser!

Our building was awarded in the 2024 Michigan Battle of the Buildings competition, in the Place of Worship category, for a 7.20% reduction in weather-normalized source energy use intensity.

There are hundreds of places of worship in Michigan. And the Genesis building had the biggest reduction in energy use of all of them.

This award was presented to Jennifer Wolf on May 8, 2025, at the 2025 Michigan Energy Summit in Grand Rapids. Check out the full details of our winning project here.

Jennifer Wolf receives award for Genesis

Other Biggest Loser awardees included Ford Field, Meijer in Battle Creek, the City of Detroit DPD Training Center and University of Michigan Health Child Care Center.

Genesis is not just a building. Genesis represents a special relationship between an Episcopal Church and a Reform Jewish Congregation. Reducing water and energy consumption is good for the environment and improves sustainability, which supports our shared values for the stewardship of our home, the Earth.

Our building has six Rooftop Units (RTUs), four furnaces, and a boiler. All of these operate using natural gas for heating. As each HVAC unit has at least one thermostat, we found that they were adjusted “willy-nilly” by building users. Sometimes, building users would switch a thermostat from heating to AC if they were warm, and the RTUs would work against each other, as neighboring zones were still on the heat setting.

Genesis Facility Attendant, Steven Kurz

After volunteer efforts to program the thermostats proved ineffective, Genesis ended up hiring Steven Kurz in 2023 to act as the Assistant Facility Manager. With Kurz’s extensive experience with commercial building management, he took on the challenge of programming the thermostats. In the Fall of 2023, Kurz programmed and locked all the thermostats.

Kurz used a weekly program function for each thermostat, based on building area use. He reduced the set points for the cold months from their random setpoints, based on whoever adjusted the thermostat last, to 66°F when in use and to 62°F when not in use. The offices are set higher when occupied.

Another example is Genesis’s weekly food pantry event (The Backdoor Food Pantry), where, on average, 170 families are given food in the Social Hall every Thursday. The doors are propped open to ease access. The thermostats in the Social Hall are set very low (58°F) in colder months, as workers are coming and going in their coats as they serve food pantry patrons.

Secondary Energy Savings Measures were also completed at the start of 2024. To improve the building envelope, Kurz sealed the area under a large skylight in the social hall with plastic sheeting. Kurz also replaced all the fluorescent lights in the classrooms with LEDs, including removing the ballast energy hogs.

Going forward, Genesis will be taking additional action. We plan to replace the oldest RTU (for the Sanctuary) with an air-source heat pump by the end of 2025. And we will increase the number of solar panels by about one-third (construction has started and the panels are on the roof!). Genesis also plans to seal additional leaks in the building envelope.

As part of A2Zero Week, on Tuesday June 3 from 1:00 - 3:30 p.m., Genesis of Ann Arbor will be holding an open house to share our sustainability action and commitment. Please join us! Reserve a tour time here.

We foresee receiving many more Biggest Loser awards in our future!