Burleigh County, ND Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Burleigh County, ND
Burleigh County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-60. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-60 runs an estimated $3,480, and saves about $2,376 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.5 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $2,310/year comes from reduced heating and $65/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Burleigh County beats 95% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 459 counties DOE places in zone 6, Burleigh County ranks 43rd. Against North Dakota's own average of $2,496/year, Burleigh County runs 5% below that.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's BISMARCK 2.4 NNW, ND US station, 18.4 miles from Burleigh County, supplies the 8,641 HDD and 407 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Burleigh County sits at the 95th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Burleigh County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $347/year saved — roughly 6.6 years to break even. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
Quotes and materials for this job
Get more than one quote before committing. Attic access and any needed air sealing move the price around, and most contractors won't take a job below roughly $600 regardless of size - worth asking upfront given Burleigh County's estimated $2,376/year on the line.
More on how this was built
Nothing here is a guess: the methodology guide names the DOE climate map and NOAA station data behind every number on this page. See the DIY vs. contractor guide for whether a job this size is realistic to do yourself.