Scenarios for Future Living trial
Scenarios for Future Living is a three-year research project to provide a more plausible and people-centred understanding of how Australians will live and interact with energy in the years to come.
We are currently seeking households to become part of a reference group to complete short surveys and interviews intermittently over a sustained period (> 18 months). We will provide technology offering insights into your home’s energy use, thermal comfort, and indoor environmental parameters and potentially new knowledge to reduce energy consumption.
We would fit your house or apartment with energy and indoor environment monitoring devices. By tracking energy use, indoor temperature, humidity, and air quality over a sustained period, we can gather detailed data on how energy and indoor environmental factors interact with household decision-making. That anonymous information will help policy makers and industry to develop the energy system that best suits Australians.
We are currently looking for people living in detached houses or townhouses in Brisbane, Sydney and Newcastle and surrounding areas.
People who live in apartments are not eligible for this trial, but may be interested in CSIRO’s Apartment Energy Behaviour study.
What do I get?
You get energy and indoor environment quality monitoring technology valued at over $1000 installed. Participating households receive:
- A Wattwatchers energy monitor which provides detailed information on their energy use on up to six electrical circuits and (if fitted) their solar production and consumption. Wattwatchers also enables users to compare energy plans.
One of several screens of the Wattwatchers energy use dashboard showing solar generation versus energy consumption.
2. A Tether EnviroQ monitor which measures temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide (indoor air quality). Both these products have their own apps and web-logins allowing users to explore visualisations of their data. There may be further opportunities in the Living Lab to trial different energy technologies.
3. A Tether Gas Pulse monitor for households with a town gas supply (does not work with bottled gas). This measures your gas consumption, provides visualisations and can provide insights into gas consumption patterns. Together, this mixture of devices gives you substantial insight into the energy consumption of your home.
Tether portal view
The Wattwatchers My Energy app and the Tether portal app will enable you to track your electricity use in real time, view the indoor climate of your living room to see the impact of your appliances and actions, to potentially reduce your energy bills.
The Wattwatchers My Energy app benefits (source: https://mydata.energy/)
What would I need to do?
We are looking for households willing to adopt these monitors for a minimum 18-month period and share their data with CSIRO who will store it anonymously. Households are not identifiable and data will be stored only against identifier (e.g. Household 1, Household 2).
Installation will involve an electrician fitting the Wattwatchers device to your meter box and (if applicable) the Tether gas monitor to your gas meter. You will also be provided with the Tether EnviroQ indoor environment quality monitor that you can install yourself (no wires, it just sits on your wall). Where possible, a CSIRO researcher will come with the electrician on the day of install to help with the installation and answer any questions you might have. To understand more about your energy use we will also (with your permission) ask your energy network business for 24 months of metered data and review your energy bills to determine your tariff.
Following the installation, households will be requested to take part in infrequent interviews and surveys about their experiences of the technology and other aspects of their interactions with energy and making comfort in their homes. Surveys and interviews would be infrequent, no more than once every 2-3 months, but the value of a Living Lab is being able to understand how households respond to different events and shocks, so we might get in touch after a particular event such as a widespread blackout or severe weather event such as a cold snap or heatwave. Interviews may include aspects of your bill, such as the effects of any changes to tariffs or your ability to pay it.
This research is about households, not just individuals. We urge you to discuss your potential participation in this trial with other members of your household and involve them in your decision whether to participate or not.
Ready to join us?
If you would like to be part of this trial and live in a detached house or townhouse in Brisbane, Sydney or Newcastle or their surrounding areas, please check with the other adults in the house that they are willing to be part of the trial. You need to have lived in the house for 12 months or more.
If they are, please complete the Expression of Interest form. We will select participants in April-June 2025 from those that have expressed interest.
Frequently asked questions
Open allClose allBy anonymously sharing your views and your energy data, you will help scientists, regulators and industry better understand energy use to plan for a more resilient, cleaner, cheaper and more equitable energy future.
We are interested in how households use smart energy technology and how households make comfort and adapt during hot and cold weather events, which is why this trial is monitoring both energy use and indoor environment parameters such as temperature, humidity and CO2. As an example, by analysing energy use during extreme weather events such as heatwaves, we can better understand household responses and better anticipate and electrical demand requirements in similar events.
We prefer participants who can stay for the full trial in order to really understand how energy use changes over seasons and due to different events, but participation is flexible and you can withdraw at any time. Withdrawing from the study means having the devices removed, so you won’t be able to keep your devices if you withdraw early. We’ll arrange for the devices to be removed, and you can still receive your data and insights at the conclusion of the study (if you choose to).
The Wattwatchers EnviroQ
No, we have deliberately chosen devices that balance scientific rigor with aesthetics. We want our participants to feel comfortable having them in their homes. The EnviroQ is small (13x13cm), has no wires and sits on your living room wall. The 3M adhesive used leaves no marks when it is removed.
The Wattwatchers device is installed in your electrical meter box and the Tether gas pulse monitor on your gas meter, so you will rarely see them.
Unfortunately, no. We will need to redeploy the devices to another household. The option to keep the devices is only available to participants who remain with us until the end of the study.
Yes, even though the monitoring is temporary, we request that renters obtain approval from their landlord. However, from our experience with similar projects, the landlord/real estate agents’ primary concern is the potential risk of damage to the property.
To address this, CSIRO is committed to ensuring that the study does not cause any adverse effects for participants or landlords and can speak with your real estate agent to explain the project. For example, it is a requirement that our devices do not damage walls.
All visible devices will be installed using 3M Command adhesive tabs, designed for damage-free hanging. Our installers will also document the condition of your walls before installation and ensure they are restored to their original state if the devices are removed. For energy monitoring devices installed in the switchboard, CSIRO will cover the cost of removal, either at the end of the study (if you choose not to keep the device) or if your lease ends before the study concludes.
Yes! Following the installation of the Wattwatchers and EnviroQ devices, users should have access to their dashboards within a few days. Being part of the Living Lab includes free installation of the energy and atmospheric monitoring. Becoming (free of charge) owners of Wattwatchers and Tether devices allows you to view your energy use data on the Wattwathers My Energy app and view your ambient data (indoor temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide) data through the Tether app. Please familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of the My Energy App, and the terms and conditions for the Tether dashboard.
Yes. Trial participation necessarily involves having electricity monitoring, ambient monitoring and gas (if you have gas) monitoring installed in your home, but there is no obligation to download the respective company’s apps to view your data. You can participate in the trial without downloading the apps associated with the monitoring devices and can request your raw data from the research team, which we would supply as CSV (spreadsheet) files.
CSIRO takes the trust Australians place in our research very seriously. To ensure your privacy, the data we collect about you is de-identified and securely stored separately from your contact information against a pseudonym (e.g. Household 1, Household 2), making it impossible to trace the information back to you or your home.
Your personal information is protected by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and CSIRO will handle your personal information in accordance with this Act. CSIRO may disclose your personal information to third parties including Wattwatchers and Tether for the purposes of arranging installation of the energy and IEQ monitoring. But your data will not be logged against these details and will be stored against your unique pseudonym (e.g. Household 1) only.
Your contact details will be used to communicate with you throughout the trial and organise periodic surveys and interviews. As a Living Lab participant we may offer you the ability to participate in new trials and offers related to energy and smart energy technology via the National Energy Analysis Centre or our project partners (Monash University, University of NSW, Wattwatchers or Tether). Any additional trials or offers would be subject to their own separate ethical consent process.
Findings may be published in case studies, reports, scientific journals or presented at conferences and shared with industry and policy makers. In any publication or presentation, information will be provided in such a way that you cannot be identified. Copies of the research findings will be available upon request. For further information on how CSIRO handles your personal information and our access, correction and complaints process, please read our Privacy Policy available on our website or by contacting us at privacy@csiro.au.
The devices are low voltage. For example, the EnviroQ ambient monitor draws no more power than a USB phone charger.
None of the devices will turn appliances on or off, change any settings, or make any other changes. They provide information only. You and your family will be able to see the information about your environment and your energy use, and use the information to make changes to your routines if you want to.
The Enviroq will be visible in your house so visitors may ask you about it.
If you have any other questions, please contact the CSIRO researcher Stephen Snow.
The Scenarios for Future Living research was funded by the RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre in partnership with Monash University, University of New South Wales, University Technology Sydney, CSIRO, Ausgrid, Citipower, Powercor, United Energy, Red Energy, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (Victoria).