Curry County, OR Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Curry County, OR
Curry County, Oregon is zone 4 under DOE's climate map (Marine), which means a mild coastal climate where the furnace and the AC both mostly stay idle. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 $1,079 a year — payback in roughly 3.2 years. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,075/year comes from reduced heating and $3/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Curry County beats 23% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, Curry County ranks 820th. Against Oregon's own average of $1,557/year, Curry County runs 31% below that.
The climate data behind this
Curry County's climate figures — 4,022 heating and 20 cooling degree days a year — are read from GOLD BEACH RS, OR US, 11.7 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Curry County sits at the 3th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Curry County as moisture regime C (marine) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
The smaller top-up scenario
If Curry County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-49. That smaller top-up costs around $2,280 and saves an estimated $157/year — payback about 14.5 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Curry County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.