Davis County, UT Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Davis County, UT
Davis County sits in IECC climate zone 5 (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. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-60 runs an estimated $3,480, and saves about $1,688 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.1 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,526/year comes from reduced heating and $162/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Davis County beats 65% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 745 counties DOE places in zone 5, Davis County ranks 501st. Against Utah's own average of $1,791/year, Davis County runs 6% below that.
Davis County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's FARMINGTON 3 NW, UT US station, 14.1 miles from Davis County, supplies the 5,709 HDD and 1,007 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Davis County 1069th nationally by total degree days — the 66th percentile. DOE also classifies Davis County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
The smaller top-up scenario
If Davis 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 $246/year — payback about 9.3 years. 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 Davis County's estimated $1,688/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.