Edmonson County, KY Insulation Payback
Edmonson County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Edmonson County as climate zone 4, mixed-humid — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,294 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.7 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,079 a year on the heating side, $215 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Edmonson County lands in the 38th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Edmonson County comes in 594th by savings. Kentucky averages $1,385/year across the counties tracked here; Edmonson County comes in 7% lower.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's BOWLING GREEN 21 NNE, KY US station, 1.8 miles from Edmonson County, supplies the 4,036 HDD and 1,338 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Edmonson County sits at the 37th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Edmonson County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-49 needs filling, at roughly $2,280 for an estimated $189/year saved (~12.1-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $3,480 as a starting estimate for a Edmonson County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Edmonson 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.