National Energy Analysis Centre

The National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC) is an open, collaborative, national energy data and research centre, prioritising a holistic approach to the energy transformation. It features:

A Living Lab of thousands of people in real homes and businesses across Australia, pre-recruited and ready for research.

A Systems Science Toolbox with rich, curated datasets in a coherent multi-energy systems framework; and powerful analytical software, workflow tools and spatiotemporal visualisations.

Extensive Innovation Networks of NEAC users and collaborators.

NEAC will accelerate and de-risk the energy transformation and focus on decarbonisation, resilience, equity, economic opportunity and innovation.

[Stephen Craig sitting at his desk]
Stephen: “My name is Steven Craig. I joined CSIRO in 2021 and I lead the Smart Energy Mission team.
I love my work and the opportunity we have to create a positive people-centric energy transformation for Australia. We have spoken to many people about the energy transformation.
[woman switching on her air conditioner]
We've heard that people are confused about what the transformation will mean for them.
[aerial view of solar panels]
We've heard that there's a data gap to inform policy, investment and innovation, and we've understood that people need more holistic and consistent information to make decisions about new technologies and ways of working.
[man working with pieces of paper]
[Words on screen: What is CSIRO doing to address the gaps?]
[Stephen at his desk]
Stephen: “We are proposing the creation of an open energy research facility hosted by CSIRO as the National Science Agency and custodian of National Research Infrastructure. The National Energy Analysis Centre, or NEAC for short, will consist of two components.
[words on screen to match Stephen’s voiceover]
A living lab with real people in real environments where we can test innovation policy and new technologies and a digital platform with rich data and analysis capabilities built on the latest system science.
[Carolyn Huston sitting on a couch]
Carolyn: Hi, my name is Carolyn Huston and I'm the digitalization focus area lead for the Smart Energy Mission At CSIRO. I'm really excited that we're gonna be bringing systems science into the NEAC and using it to help design our future energy systems.
[people in a meeting]
System science comes out of engineered systems like aerospace where we're manufacturing something where individual components like the ventilation, the engines, the landing gear, the attachment of the wings through the fuselage, each of those sting has to be engineered correctly.
[imagery of aeroplanes]

But the most important part is that there's a holistic view of how those systems fit together so that when we manufacture it, the plan can actually take off and land in a safe and sensible way.
[Carolyn on the couch]
We wanna bring that common sense approach to the NEAC and that system's thinking to our decision-making and planning for Australia's future energy systems.
[John Gardner sitting at his desk]
My name is John Gardner and I'm the empowerment lead of the Smart Energy Mission.
[people using energy and talking about energy]
I'm really excited by NEAC because what it will allow us to do is help Australians everywhere understand their energy use and help them manage their energy costs.
[John at his desk]
And this is particularly important for people living in vulnerable circumstances.
People who are involved in our living lab get to see their own energy consumption. They get to understand what it is that's driving their energy costs. They also get to trial new products that help them understand their energy use and manage it. And they get to have a say in how those products are developed.
People from industry and innovators will be able to use the data from those trials to help them to de-risk their investments and their decision making.
[words on screen: What will NEAC do for me?]
[Charlie Mere sitting in a common office space]
Charlie Mere: “My name is Charlie Mere and my role is to design the NEAC. My background is in behavioural and human centred design. I really like understanding the different ways that people think and what they value, and I love bringing that understanding to big challenges like the energy transformation and making things that help communities have an impact that works for them.
NEAC will do different things for different people. It's gonna have a major boost for researchers and innovators. It's gonna make it faster to set up trials at a larger scale with real homes and real people.
[words on screen matching voiceover]
For policy makers, NEAC offers that comprehensive data from a broader range of people to make policies that are equitable and effective. And for planners and investors, NEAC provides a trusted national set of data to check against for making investment approvals faster and with less risk.

And for consultancies and community groups, NEAC gives easier access to data and tools that you'd otherwise need a specialist team to maintain. So that gives you better insights to work with for tackling energy challenges.
[Charlie in common office space]
In general, NEAC will provide a high quality national facility backed by CSIRO that's open for everyone to use directly or through APIs. And so you can do your energy systems modelling and analysis across multiple energy types with social research and visualization. So that's a very powerful offering.
Basically, NEAC will not compete with your projects. It will improve what you're already doing.”
[Carolyn working on a computer]
Carolyn: “Just imagine you could see what our energy systems could look like in 30 years time. That is exactly what the NEAC will be able to simulate in an open, transparent, and scientifically rigorous way.”
[Word on screen: Do you have any evidence NEAC will make an impact?]
[Claire Rowland standing in a garden]
Claire Rowland: “I'm Claire Rowland. I'm the senior manager for the Living Lab and Whole Energy Systems Accelerator at Energy Systems Catapult in the UK. We have over 3000 UK homes in our living lab and we're growing every day. Since 2018 we've helped tens of UK clean energy innovators identify new opportunities and de-risk innovations before launching them in market. Through us, they can trial products, services, and policies in a safe sandbox with real people in real homes, with real demands on their time.
Evidence from our trials helps 'em ensure their innovations are market ready and helps them unlock more funding to grow their businesses to the next stage. We've partnered with PNDC Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde to build the award-winning Whole Energy Systems accelerator facility.
This is helping energy networks predict future demand from increased electrification so they can understand needs for network reinforcement.
It also allows us to trial innovative load management and flexibility measures with real homes under future market conditions, ensuring they benefit both consumers and the wider energy system now and into the future.”
[Screen show list of organisations: Ausgrid; Australian Energy Market Commission; Australian Energy Rgulator; Australian Pipelines and Gas Association; Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; Energy Consumers Australia; EnergyLab; Energy Systems Catapult UK; Engineers Australia; RACE for 2030 CRC; RealtechX; Solar Victoria; The Energy Charter.]

Stephen: “We have a growing community of supporting organizations. Why don't you join us Together we can build a more sustainable, equitable, resilient, and efficient energy transformation for Australia.”
[CSIRO logo, words “Australia’s National Science Agency, To learn more go to: research.csiro.au/neac/”]

Social scientists and innovators: your diverse research lab awaits

NEAC’s Living Lab gives you instant access to a pre-recruited research pool of Australian households and businesses, so you can test energy-related hypotheses at scale, fast. With diverse participants across Australia including hard-to-reach demographics, streamlined recruitment, and built-in research infrastructure, your next field trial starts now. We provide the lab so that you can do your research.

From researchers needing faster, more diverse recruitment, to innovators seeking large-scale real-world data for investors, to policy makers testing real impact, the NEAC Living Lab makes it easy.
Data that drives confidence

NEAC provides industry leaders with trusted, data-driven intelligence, helping you navigate complexity, manage risk, and drive energy transformation with clarity and confidence.

Backed by the reputation and capabilities of CSIRO, we use modern systems science across all energy types to ensure your strategy is built on actionable intelligence that stands on solid ground.
Need information? Comprehensive insights at your fingertips

NEAC powered by CSIRO democratises access to trusted statistics, expert-backed reports, and interactive visualisations, helping you to build more robust conclusions, faster. NEAC provides CSIRO-backed science and data from regions sharing similar challenges. With the ability to slice data across numerous variables and export graphs, maps and tables, NEAC adds clarity to your research, article or report.
Data wranglers: wrangle less, model more

NEAC powered by CSIRO provides curated, clean datasets and transparent models, streamlining your path to analysis. The Systems Science Toolbox enables you to model the whole energy system including electricity, gas, liquid fuels and heat, and adjacent systems such as water and transport. With seamless integration into your existing workflows to reduce setup time, you can focus on what really matters: delivering high-impact insights to drive real change.

Social scientists and innovators: your diverse research lab awaits

Data that drives confidence

Need information? Comprehensive insights at your fingertips

Data wranglers: wrangle less, model more

Case studies

Net zero options for heavy industry

NEAC supports Scenarios for Future Living

Energy Systems Catapult UK

The American Multi-Modal Energy System (AMES)

Welcome to National Energy Analysis Centre