Converse County, WY Insulation Payback
Converse County, WY: what topping up your attic actually costs
Converse County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-60. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-60 costs around $3,480 and saves an estimated $2,035 a year — payback in roughly 1.7 years. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
Where the savings come from
The estimated savings split roughly $1,953/year heating, $82/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Converse County's savings potential beats roughly 83 of them. Within zone 6 specifically, it ranks 371st of 459 counties by estimated savings. Wyoming averages $2,161/year across the counties tracked here; Converse County comes in 6% lower.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's DOUGLAS CONVERSE CO AP, WY US station, 14.7 miles from Converse County, supplies the 7,303 HDD and 512 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Converse County sits at the 84th percentile nationally. Converse County falls in DOE's moisture regime B (dry), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
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 $297/year saved — roughly 7.7 years to break even. That is a solid payback as home upgrades go.
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 Converse County's estimated $2,035/year on the line.
Nothing here is a guess
Every figure on this page traces to DOE/IECC climate zones and NOAA degree-day normals, documented in the methodology guide. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.