Campbell County, SD Insulation Payback
Campbell County attic insulation, by the numbers
Campbell County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. 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 $2,280 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.5 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Campbell County
Split it out and it's roughly $2,178 a year on the heating side, $102 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Campbell County lands in the 93th percentile nationally. Zone 6 alone covers 459 counties in this dataset, and Campbell County comes in 112th by savings. South Dakota averages $2,162/year across the counties tracked here; Campbell County comes in 5% higher.
Campbell County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's POLLOCK, SD US station, 16 miles from Campbell County, supplies the 8,144 HDD and 638 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Campbell County in the 93th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Campbell County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $333/year saved — roughly 6.9 years to break even. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
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 Campbell County's estimated $2,280/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Campbell County's R-60 target and its degree-day figures both come from named federal sources - see the methodology guide for exactly which ones. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.