Franklin County, MS Insulation Payback
Franklin County attic insulation, by the numbers
Franklin County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Hot-Humid) — summers that stay hot and humid while winters barely register on the energy bill. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-49 costs around $2,820 and saves an estimated $929 a year — payback in roughly 3 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
Heating vs. cooling in Franklin County
Split it out and it's roughly $556 a year on the heating side, $374 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Franklin County lands in the 12th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Franklin County comes in 614th by savings. Mississippi averages $1,022/year across the counties tracked here; Franklin County comes in 9% lower.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 2,094 HDD and 2,344 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from MEADVILLE, MS US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 1 miles from Franklin County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Franklin County 2857th nationally by total degree days — the 10th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Franklin County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
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 $125/year saved (~12.9-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 $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Franklin County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Franklin 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.