{
  "project": "gpu-pilot",
  "doc": "tlccosts/METHODOLOGY.md",
  "title": "True Lifestyle Cost Index\u2122 \u2014 Methodology (internal)",
  "oneline": "True Lifestyle Cost Index \u2014 Housing + Utilities + Commute: v1 formula, primary sources, the five resolved decisions, and the CNT H+T\u00ae benchmark protocol.",
  "tldr": [
    "TLC% = 12\u00d7(H+U+C)/income. v1 per Krishna's five decisions (2026-06-12, all RESOLVED): name fully spelled out 'True Lifestyle Cost Index'; income basis is a USER CHOICE (median / HUD AMI default / HUD 80% / custom); TWO U scopes (u_energy LEAD-comparable + u_full product number); C on a household basis (\u00d7 B08202 workers/HH); 48% line AND percentile tiers.",
    "u_energy = DOE LEAD 2022 county/tract energy by AMI bracket, trended per fuel by OUR energy_prices EIA indices (2022\u2192now: NJ elec \u00d71.37, gas \u00d71.14, oil \u00d70.85) \u2014 82,833 rows staged+loaded as `utility_baselines` with elec/gas/fuel splits. u_full adds water/sewer + cell (BLS CEX 2024 by hh size), broadband (FCC URS 2026, $89/$95 national medians), trash (NJ norm $0, toggle); quality tiers A/B/C documented; NJ American Water tariff anchor $50.95/mo.",
    "Income: HUD FY2026 limits staged+loaded as `hud_income_limits` (319 rows NY/NJ/CT/PA; CT = town rows under planning-region FIPS). HUD AMI is median FAMILY income (4-person) \u2014 avg +47% above CBSA median HOUSEHOLD income in the pilot; published 80% limits are capped (Jersey City's EXCEEDS its own MFI). CNT benchmarking stays on CBSA median HH (CNT's own construct).",
    "C is the moat: door-to-door, mode-specific, fare/toll/parking/CRZ-accurate monthly commute cost from the GPU RAPTOR pipeline + commute DB \u2014 computed leg-by-leg, not modeled; now \u00d7 county workers-per-household (1.17\u20131.38), matching CNT's Regional Typical Household precedent (H+T Methods Nov 2022 p.25).",
    "Shelter is basis-INDEPENDENT (double-counting guard v1): H = ACS gross housing \u2212 LEAD ALL-bracket energy \u2212 CEX water/sewer, once per county; bases differ only via bracket utilities + denominator. CT planning-region FIPS now line up across ACS 2024, CNT 2022, LEAD 2022 AND HUD FY26."
  ],
  "updated": "2026-06-12 04:45",
  "sections": [
    {
      "level": 1,
      "title": "True Lifestyle Cost Index\u2122 \u2014 Methodology (internal)"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "0. Legal & ethical frame (non-negotiable)"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "1. Prior art and the gap we fill"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "2. Index definition"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "3. H \u2014 housing (ACS, primary source)"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "4. U \u2014 utilities (u_energy: LEAD \u00d7 EIA \u00b7 u_full: + FCC/BLS components)"
    },
    {
      "level": 3,
      "title": "4a. u_energy \u2014 DOE LEAD, EIA-trended (Tier A)"
    },
    {
      "level": 3,
      "title": "4b. u_full \u2014 the product number"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "5. C \u2014 commute (our engine, the moat)"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "6. Benchmark protocol vs CNT H+T\u00ae (validation only)"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "7. Pipeline & storage"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "8. Versioning & roadmap"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "title": "9. Sources"
    }
  ],
  "stats": {
    "lines": 350,
    "words": 2911
  },
  "html": "https://board.certihomes.com/project-docs/gpu-pilot/tlccosts-METHODOLOGY.html",
  "out_name": "tlccosts-METHODOLOGY.md",
  "comments_api": "https://board.certihomes.com/api/doc-comments?project=gpu-pilot&doc=tlccosts/METHODOLOGY.md"
}