A new national research facility based in Newcastle is now open, offering Australian businesses and other organisations the tools to test energy ideas, evaluate policies and plan infrastructure with greater confidence.
The National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC), run by CSIRO, combines real-world data from households and businesses with advanced modelling and visualisation tools. It’s designed to help researchers, companies and government agencies make better decisions as Australia’s energy system changes.
Supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund and operating from CSIRO’s Energy Centre in Newcastle, NEAC is already being used to support industry research and offers a flexible platform for projects across electricity, gas and other energy networks.
“Transforming the energy system will impact every sector of the economy and every part of society,” said CSIRO Energy Director Dr Dietmar Tourbier.
“A transition of this scale and complexity needs a coordinated, long-term perspective. NEAC will help Australia navigate this journey by providing the trusted insights planners and policymakers need to inform action and reduce risk.”
At the heart of NEAC are two main resources: the Living Lab, made up of thousands of participating households and businesses; and the Systems Science Toolbox, which allows users to explore data and model how changes in one part of the energy system affect others.
The Systems Science Toolbox includes curated datasets and tools that can help businesses:
- model energy use across suburbs, regions or the whole country
- test how new technologies might affect the grid
- evaluate the performance of consumer energy programs
- examine links between energy, water, transport and other infrastructure
- assess resilience and risk under future scenarios
Businesses can use NEAC for a single survey or a multi-year field trial with live monitoring. This makes it useful not only for energy companies and technology developers, but also for firms working in housing, manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, and logistics.
Early projects are already underway, including a study looking at energy use in homes and another focused on optimising industrial energy systems.
The Living Lab supports these activities by providing a pool of participants who share their energy use data anonymously and, in some cases, take part in product or service trials. While the Lab includes households, it’s also a useful resource for businesses looking to understand consumer behaviour or test market-ready products.
CSIRO has begun recruitment for the Living Lab. Participation is open to any Australian resident over 18, including renters and small business owners. Go here for more details.
“I joined NEAC because I’ve been following the energy transition and see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australia to look at the electricity grid with the consumer in mind,” early participant, Heath Raftery, said.
“I’m a renter so there’s not much I can do infrastructure-wise, but having input via NEAC will help governments and providers to consider the third of the population that is renting, as they develop policies and products.”
For businesses interested in finding out how to use NEAC, CSIRO is hosting a free webinar on Monday 11 August 2025. The session will cover how to access NEAC’s tools, design research or trials, and apply data to real-world planning. Go here for details and registration.
