Ellis County, OK Insulation Payback
Ellis County attic insulation, by the numbers
Ellis County, Oklahoma is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to 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 years at an estimated $1,418/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,182 a year on the heating side, $235 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Ellis County lands in the 47th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Ellis County comes in 4th by savings. Oklahoma averages $1,260/year across the counties tracked here; Ellis County comes in 13% higher.
Ellis County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 4,456 HDD and 1,477 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from ARNETT 3NE, OK US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 4.4 miles from Ellis County's center. Combined heating and cooling load puts Ellis County in the 50th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Ellis 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-38 needs filling, at roughly $1,620 for an estimated $191/year saved (~8.5-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Ellis County attic
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Ellis County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Ellis 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.