Clark County, OH Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Clark County, OH
DOE classifies Clark County as climate zone 5, cold — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,682 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.1 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Clark County
Of that, about $1,553/year comes from reduced heating and $129/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Clark County beats 65% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 745 counties DOE places in zone 5, Clark County ranks 514th. Against Ohio's own average of $1,669/year, Clark County runs 1% above that.
Where these numbers come from
Clark County's climate figures — 5,808 heating and 802 cooling degree days a year — are read from SPRINGFIELD WTP, OH US, 4.1 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Clark County sits at the 64th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Clark County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
If Clark County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-49. That smaller top-up costs around $2,280 and saves an estimated $245/year — payback about 9.3 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $3,480 as a starting estimate for a Clark County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
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.