Edgefield County, SC Insulation Payback
Edgefield County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Edgefield County as climate zone 3, mixed-humid — a genuine mix of cold winters and humid summers, with neither one dominating the bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 2.9 years at an estimated $978/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $656 a year on the heating side, $322 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Edgefield County lands in the 15th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Edgefield County comes in 519th by savings. South Carolina averages $1,016/year across the counties tracked here; Edgefield County comes in 4% lower.
Where these numbers come from
Edgefield County's climate figures — 2,474 heating and 2,020 cooling degree days a year — are read from EDGEFIELD 2.2 ENE, SC US, 4.1 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Edgefield County 2813th nationally by total degree days — the 11th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Edgefield County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-38 needs filling, at roughly $1,620 for an estimated $132/year saved (~12.3-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
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 $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Edgefield County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Edgefield County's R-49 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-49 is the target here specifically.