Demand response programs exist in energy markets across North America, and each region has opportunities that help meet their unique energy reduction goals. This is actually an "insurance policy" for the ISO that they can rely on during the hottest, most humid summer days when the demand for electricity approaches the available supply.
The goal to developing a "Smart Grid" is to upgrade our electric grid to be more efficient, more reactive to real-time grid conditions, and promote more sophisticated demand management strategies. Commercial & Industrial implementation of Demand Response are the most effective form of smart grid implementations, and among the most complex.