Cook County, GA Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Cook County, GA
Cook County, Georgia is zone 2 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Humid), which means humid heat for much of the year, with cooling running far more than heating ever does. 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 $836 a year — payback in roughly 3.4 years. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $472/year comes from reduced heating and $364/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Cook County beats 6% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 233 counties DOE places in zone 2, Cook County ranks 135th. Against Georgia's own average of $974/year, Cook County runs 14% below that.
Cook County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's MOULTRIE 2 ESE, GA US station, 19 miles from Cook County, supplies the 1,779 HDD and 2,286 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Cook County in the 3th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. DOE also classifies Cook 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
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 $113/year saved (~14.4-year payback). It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
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 Cook County's estimated $836/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.