Clarke County, MS Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Clarke County, MS
Clarke County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Mixed-Humid) — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-49 costs around $2,820 and saves an estimated $984 a year — payback in roughly 2.9 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Clarke County
Of that, about $611/year comes from reduced heating and $373/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Clarke County beats 16% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Clarke County ranks 504th. Against Mississippi's own average of $1,022/year, Clarke County runs 4% below that.
Clarke County's actual weather, not a national average
Clarke County's climate figures — 2,302 heating and 2,340 cooling degree days a year — are read from P HARRISON ARCHUSA, MS US, 1.5 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Clarke County 2691st nationally by total degree days — the 15th percentile. DOE also classifies Clarke County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-38 needs filling, at roughly $1,620 for an estimated $132/year saved (~12.2-year payback). It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Next steps for a Clarke County attic
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Clarke County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.