Franklin County, WA Insulation Payback
Franklin County attic insulation, by the numbers
Franklin County, Washington is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-60. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-60 costs roughly $3,480 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.2 years at an estimated $1,555/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $1,457 a year on the heating side, $98 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Franklin County lands in the 57th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Franklin County comes in 689th by savings. Washington averages $1,583/year across the counties tracked here; Franklin County comes in 2% lower.
Where these numbers come from
Franklin County's climate figures — 5,450 heating and 610 cooling degree days a year — are read from CONNELL 1 W, WA US, 8.8 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Franklin County sits at the 53th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Franklin County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $227/year saved — roughly 10.1 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Franklin County attic
Get more than one quote before committing. Attic access and any needed air sealing move the price around, and most contractors won't take a job below roughly $600 regardless of size - worth asking upfront given Franklin County's estimated $1,555/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Franklin 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.