Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) energy conservation research and development (R&D) program, focusing on planning and management improvements that would increase program effectiveness.
GAO found that: (1) energy conservation R&D funding and staff declined substantially in 1980, reflecting the administration's view that conservation research should be conducted primarily by the private sector; (2) the 1991 budget request reflects a 9-percent funding reduction; (3) the DOE multi-year conservation R&D plan did not provide detailed information on proposed individual projects and milestones; (4) DOE has not steadily promoted technology transfer activities that effectively promote the commercialization of R&D efforts; (5) independent peer reviews of R&D activities could help ensure the continuing relevance of ongoing research activities and sharpen management decisionmaking; and (6) DOE may inadvertently overlook some relevant critical review recommendations or fail to implement them in a timely manner.
