Copiah County, MS Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Copiah County, MS
Copiah County, Mississippi is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Humid), which means long, muggy summers and mild winters, where cooling dominates the energy bill. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-49. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-49 costs roughly $2,820 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 3.1 years at an estimated $899/year saved. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Heating vs. cooling in Copiah County
Of that, about $534/year comes from reduced heating and $365/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Copiah County beats 10% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Copiah County ranks 638th. Against Mississippi's own average of $1,022/year, Copiah County runs 12% below that.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 2,011 HDD and 2,291 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from HAZLEHURST 5 SW, MS US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 2.4 miles from Copiah County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Copiah County 2953rd nationally by total degree days — the 7th percentile. DOE also classifies Copiah 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
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-38 runs about $1,620 for about $121/year saved — roughly 13.4 years to break even. 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 $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Copiah 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.