diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/Makefile.am b/src/IntaRNA/Makefile.am
index 5f78c9cb..5eee3eb5 100644
--- a/src/IntaRNA/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/Makefile.am
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ libIntaRNA_a_HEADERS =    \
 					InteractionEnergyVrna.h \
 					InteractionRange.h \
 					NussinovHandler.h \
+					ObjectiveHandler.h \
 					OutputConstraint.h \
 					OutputStreamHandler.h \
 					OutputStreamHandlerSortedCsv.h \
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ libIntaRNA_a_SOURCES =    \
 					InteractionEnergyVrna.cpp \
 					InteractionRange.cpp \
 					NussinovHandler.cpp \
+					ObjectiveHandler.cpp \
 					OutputConstraint.cpp \
 					OutputStreamHandlerSortedCsv.cpp \
 					OutputHandler.cpp \
diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.cpp b/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cca7c3ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+
+
+#include "IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h"
+
+namespace IntaRNA
+{
+
+ObjectiveHandler::ObjectiveHandler()
+{
+}
+
+ObjectiveHandler::~ObjectiveHandler()
+{
+}
+
+E_type
+ObjectiveHandler::
+getLcE( const Interaction & i, const InteractionEnergy & energy )
+{
+	const size_t curLength = std::max(
+							( 1 + i.basePairs.rbegin()->first - i.basePairs.begin()->first )
+							, ( 1 + i.basePairs.begin()->second - i.basePairs.rbegin()->second )
+							);
+
+	return getLcE( curLength, i.energy, energy);
+}
+
+E_type
+ObjectiveHandler::
+getLcE( const size_t & curLength, const E_type & fullE, const InteractionEnergy & energy )
+{
+//	const size_t maxLength = std::max( std::min(energy.getAccessibility1().getSequence().size(), energy.getAccessibility1().getMaxLength())
+//							, std::min(energy.getAccessibility2().getSequence().size(), energy.getAccessibility2().getMaxLength()) );
+//	return (E_type)( (double)(fullE) / std::log2(1+(double)curLength) );
+//	return (E_type)( (double)(fullE) / std::log(5+(double)curLength) );
+//	return (E_type)( (double)(fullE) / std::log(2.0*(double)curLength) );
+//	return (fullE) / (E_type)curLength;
+	return E_type((float)(fullE) / (float)curLength);
+}
+
+
+
+} /* namespace IntaRNA */
diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h b/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a0940a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#ifndef INTARNA_OBJECTIVEHANDLER_H_
+#define INTARNA_OBJECTIVEHANDLER_H_
+
+#include "IntaRNA/Interaction.h"
+#include "IntaRNA/InteractionEnergy.h"
+
+namespace IntaRNA
+{
+
+/**
+ * Defines the optimization objective of Predictor instances
+ */
+class ObjectiveHandler
+{
+public:
+	ObjectiveHandler();
+	virtual ~ObjectiveHandler();
+
+
+	static
+	E_type
+	getLcE( const Interaction & i, const InteractionEnergy & energy );
+
+	static
+	E_type
+	getLcE( const size_t & curLength, const E_type & fullE, const InteractionEnergy & energy );
+
+};
+
+} /* namespace IntaRNA */
+
+#endif /* INTARNA_OBJECTIVEHANDLER_H_ */
diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.cpp b/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.cpp
index 54a3c032..f69c9c17 100644
--- a/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.cpp
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 
 #include "IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.h"
+#include "IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h"
 
 #if INTARNA_MULITHREADING
 	#include <omp.h>
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ const std::string OutputHandlerCsv::notAvailable = "NAN";
 const OutputHandlerCsv::ColTypeList OutputHandlerCsv::colTypeNumericSort(
 		OutputHandlerCsv::string2list(
 		"start1,end1,start2,end2"
-		",E,ED1,ED2,Pu1,Pu2,E_init,E_loops,E_dangleL,E_dangleR,E_endL,E_endR,E_hybrid,E_norm,E_hybridNorm,E_add"
+		",E,ED1,ED2,Pu1,Pu2,E_init,E_loops,E_dangleL,E_dangleR,E_endL,E_endR,E_hybrid,E_norm,E_hybridNorm,E_add,lcE"
 		",seedStart1,seedEnd1,seedStart2,seedEnd2,seedE,seedED1,seedED2,seedPu1,seedPu2"
 		",Eall,Zall,P_E"
 		));
@@ -242,6 +243,10 @@ add( const Interaction & i, const OutputConstraint & outConstraint )
 				outTmp <<E_2_Ekcal(contr.energyAdd);
 				break;
 
+			case lcE:
+				outTmp <<E_2_Ekcal(ObjectiveHandler::getLcE(i,energy));
+				break;
+
 			case seedStart1:
 				if (i.seed == NULL) {
 					outTmp <<notAvailable;
diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.h b/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.h
index 29551dbc..5773a396 100644
--- a/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.h
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/OutputHandlerCsv.h
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ class OutputHandlerCsv : public OutputHandler
 		E_norm, //!< length normalized energy = E/ln(length(seq1)*length(seq2))
 		E_hybridNorm, //!< length normalized energy of hybridization only = E_hybrid / ln(length(seq1)*length(seq2))
 		E_add, //!< user provided energy shift
+		lcE, //!< length normalized interaction energy = E*maxLength/curMaxLength
 		seedStart1, //!< start index of the seed in seq1
 		seedEnd1, //!< end index of the seed in seq1
 		seedStart2, //!< start index of the seed in seq2
@@ -134,6 +135,7 @@ class OutputHandlerCsv : public OutputHandler
 			colType2string[E_norm] = "E_norm";
 			colType2string[E_hybridNorm] = "E_hybridNorm";
 			colType2string[E_add] = "E_add";
+			colType2string[lcE] = "lcE";
 			colType2string[seedStart1] = "seedStart1";
 			colType2string[seedEnd1] = "seedEnd1";
 			colType2string[seedStart2] = "seedStart2";
diff --git a/src/IntaRNA/PredictorMfe.cpp b/src/IntaRNA/PredictorMfe.cpp
index 08d5f835..44847d0e 100644
--- a/src/IntaRNA/PredictorMfe.cpp
+++ b/src/IntaRNA/PredictorMfe.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 
 #include "IntaRNA/PredictorMfe.h"
+#include "IntaRNA/ObjectiveHandler.h"
 
 #include <iostream>
 #include <algorithm>
@@ -114,7 +115,10 @@ updateOptima( const size_t i1, const size_t j1
 
 
 	// check if we have to care about insertion (curE <= worst E in list)
-	if (curE > mfeInteractions.rbegin()->energy ) {
+//	if (curE > mfeInteractions.rbegin()->energy ) {
+	if (ObjectiveHandler::getLcE( std::max(1+j1-i1,1+j2-i2), curE, energy)
+		> ObjectiveHandler::getLcE( *(mfeInteractions.rbegin()), energy) )
+	{
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -136,7 +140,10 @@ updateOptima( const size_t i1, const size_t j1
 	} else {
 
 		// check for insertion position
-		InteractionList::iterator insertPos = std::find_if_not( mfeInteractions.begin(), mfeInteractions.end(), [&](Interaction & i){return i < tmp;});
+		InteractionList::iterator insertPos = std::find_if_not( mfeInteractions.begin(), mfeInteractions.end(), [&](Interaction & i){
+			return ObjectiveHandler::getLcE(i,energy) < ObjectiveHandler::getLcE(tmp,energy);
+//			return i < tmp;
+		});
 
 		if ( insertPos != mfeInteractions.end() && !( tmp == *insertPos )) {