Franklin County, PA Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Franklin County, PA
DOE classifies Franklin County as climate zone 5, cold — winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. 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 $1,566 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.2 years.
Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Franklin County
Of that, about $1,418/year comes from reduced heating and $149/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Franklin County beats 57% of the counties in this 3,171-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 754 counties DOE places in zone 5, Franklin County ranks 687th. Against Pennsylvania's own average of $1,724/year, Franklin County runs 9% below that.
Where these numbers come from
Franklin County's climate figures — 5,302 heating and 926 cooling degree days a year — are read from Chambersburg 1 ESE, PA US, 4.5 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Franklin County 1376th nationally by total degree days — the 57th percentile. DOE also classifies Franklin County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
If Franklin County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-49. That smaller top-up costs around $2,280 and saves an estimated $228/year — payback about 10 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Next steps for a Franklin County attic
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first, so treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Franklin County, not a bid. Worth getting quotes from at least two local contractors before committing - most charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.