In July 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) staff and the Department of Energy (DOE) jointly submitted to Congress a required “Implementation Proposal for the National Action Plan on Demand Response.”  The Implementation Proposal was for FERC’s June 2010 National Action Plan for Demand Response.

Part of the July 2011 Implementation Proposal called for a “National Forum” on demand response to be conducted by DOE and FERC. Given the rapid development of the demand response industry, DOE and FERC decided that a "virtual" project, in which state officials, industry representatives, members of a National Action Plan Coalition, and experts from research organizations would work together over a short, defined period to share ideas, examine barriers, and explore solutions for demand response would be more effective than an in-person conference.  To help answer what remains to be done with demand response, working groups were formed in the following four areas:

• Cost effectiveness
• Measurement and verification
• Program design and implementation
• Tools and methods

Preliminary and final results of the cost-effectiveness working group are available for downloading below.