Recently, the Department of Defense issued an important update to UFC 1-200-02, High Performance and Sustainable Building Requirements. The revision changes how Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is performed for federal projects by incorporating ASHRAE 90.1-2019 Addendum ch.

 What’s New?

Previously, the analysis used the Performance Cost Index (PCI) to evaluate results from an ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G model. With the update, calculations now use the Performance Index (PI) based on Site Energy or Source Energy.

The new Percentage Improvement formula is:

  • % Improvement = 100 × (1 – PI / PIt)
  • PI = Performance Index (Site or Source Energy)
  • PIt = Performance Index Target

Both values are determined by Appendix G (section G1.2) and Addendum ch (section X6).

Another notable change: the Building Performance Factor (BPF) has moved to Table X3-1 and X3-3 of Addendum ch.

What It Means in Practice

  • The UFC still requires an ASHRAE 90.1-2019 Appendix G analysis of three alternatives plus baseline.
  • The performance rating method has shifted. Results must now align with the Addendum ch equations.
  • Software gap: Energy modeling tools are not yet updated. While BPF reports are still generated, they do not reflect the new PI approach. As a result, teams must calculate PI and PIt externally. Extensions are available to export ASHRAE 90.1 report data to Excel, which makes this process more manageable.

Why This Matters

For federal projects, UFC compliance is mandatory. By adopting a Performance Index based on site energy, the update emphasizes transparent and consistent performance comparisons, ensuring designs are evaluated on actual energy use rather than utility cost.