Bent County, CO Insulation Payback
Bent County, CO: what topping up your attic actually costs
Bent County, Colorado is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-60. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-60 costs roughly $3,480 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.2 years at an estimated $1,582/year saved. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
The breakdown behind the number
The estimated savings split roughly $1,370/year heating, $212/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Bent County's savings potential beats roughly 58 of them. Within zone 5 specifically, it ranks 661st of 745 counties by estimated savings. Colorado averages $2,043/year across the counties tracked here; Bent County comes in 23% lower.
The climate data behind this
Bent County's climate figures — 5,125 heating and 1,318 cooling degree days a year — are read from LAS ANIMAS, CO US, 11.8 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. Combined heating and cooling load puts Bent County in the 61th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. Bent County falls in DOE's moisture regime B (dry), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
The smaller top-up scenario
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-49 needs filling, at roughly $2,280 for an estimated $231/year saved (~9.9-year payback). This one is a genuine toss-up, not a clear yes.
Next steps for a Bent County attic
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Bent County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Nothing here is a guess
Every figure on this page traces to DOE/IECC climate zones and NOAA degree-day normals, documented in the methodology guide. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.