Dearborn County, IN Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Dearborn County, IN
Dearborn County sits in IECC climate zone 4 (Mixed-Humid) — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building 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 2.1 years at an estimated $1,633/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,518/year comes from reduced heating and $114/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Dearborn County beats 62% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, Dearborn County ranks 19th. Against Indiana's own average of $1,634/year, Dearborn County runs 0% above that.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 5,679 HDD and 711 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from MILAN 5 NE, IN US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 4.3 miles from Dearborn County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Dearborn County 1278th nationally by total degree days — the 60th percentile. DOE also classifies Dearborn 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
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $238/year saved — roughly 9.6 years to break even. 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 Dearborn County's estimated $1,633/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.