Crowley County, CO Insulation Payback
Crowley County attic insulation, by the numbers
Crowley County, Colorado is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-60. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-60 costs roughly $3,480 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2 years at an estimated $1,721/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,544 a year on the heating side, $177 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Crowley County lands in the 67th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Crowley County comes in 440th by savings. Colorado averages $2,043/year across the counties tracked here; Crowley County comes in 16% lower.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's ORDWAY 1 ENE, CO US station, 6.3 miles from Crowley County, supplies the 5,774 HDD and 1,102 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Crowley County in the 68th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Crowley County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $251/year saved — roughly 9.1 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Crowley County
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Crowley County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Crowley County's R-60 target and its degree-day figures both come from named federal sources - see the methodology guide for exactly which ones. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.