Coahoma County, MS Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Coahoma County, MS
Coahoma County, Mississippi is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 $1,132 a year — payback in roughly 2.5 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Coahoma County
Of that, about $799/year comes from reduced heating and $333/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Coahoma County beats 27% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Coahoma County ranks 189th. Against Mississippi's own average of $1,022/year, Coahoma County runs 11% above that.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's CLARKSDALE, MS US station, 4 miles from Coahoma County, supplies the 3,010 HDD and 2,089 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Coahoma County 2262nd nationally by total degree days — the 28th percentile. DOE also classifies Coahoma 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-38 runs about $1,620 for about $152/year saved — roughly 10.6 years to break even. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Next steps for a Coahoma County attic
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 Coahoma County's estimated $1,132/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.