Ben Levine

Touchstone IQ | Director of Business Development

Speaker

Track A: Mastering Energy Management

Session A2: Utility Rebates

March 12, 2026 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am

Rebate it Till you Make it: The BPS Plan that Pencils

As Building Performance Standards (BPS) expand, the winning strategy is not just picking measures. It is financing a multi-year compliance and decarbonization roadmap at the lowest possible net cost. Ben Levine (Director at Touchstone IQ) will bring an implementation perspective that sits at the intersection of jurisdictions rolling out BPS requirements, utilities administering incentives, and owner-operators and facility teams delivering projects on real-world timelines and budgets. Touchstone IQ works with cities and states, including the City of Seattle, implementing benchmarking and BPS programs and supports owners and operators navigating compliance, data quality, and project planning, giving Ben a cross-stakeholder view of what it takes to advance projects from early scoping through approval, delivery, and verified outcomes, including how to integrate utility rebates and incentives to improve project economics and accelerate timelines.

Using the Pacific Northwest as a grounding example, Ben will share how incentives from Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light, and Energy Trust of Oregon (alongside grants and early-adopter funding) can materially reduce net project cost and accelerate delivery when they are integrated into compliance planning from day one, rather than treated as a last-step rebate. From that perspective, Ben will offer practical guidance on selecting the right incentive approach for different project types, sequencing audits and planning activities so they unlock funding and avoid rework, and building a clear incentive-stacking and documentation workflow that reduces delays, rejections, and stranded savings. Attendees will leave with a simple sequencing workflow they can apply immediately, plus a clear view of how the same approach scales beyond the PNW to other utility territories and national portfolios, whether the driver is BPS compliance or broader energy management and decarbonization goals.

Speaker Bio

Ben Levine, Director of Business Development at Touchstone IQ, is a recognized thought leader in energy efficiency, building performance standards, and decarbonization for the built environment. He has nearly a decade of experience advancing software-driven solutions for utilities, municipalities, and commercial real estate owners. Ben has supported major initiatives with organizations such as DTE Energy, LADWP, Nova Scotia Power, Consumers Energy, TECO, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, including helping NYC EDC align its decarbonization planning with emerging BPS requirements.
Ben has spoken at industry events and contributed articles on topics including performance standards, compliance assistance, and the role of data platforms in accelerating energy savings. With deep expertise in regulatory frameworks and market dynamics and a strong passion for scaling energy efficiency and decarbonization through software, he is dedicated to building high-impact, collaborative solutions that support a more sustainable built environment.

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