Garfield County, UT Insulation Payback
Garfield County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Garfield County as climate zone 5, cold — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 2.1 years at an estimated $1,672/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Garfield County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,579 a year on the heating side, $93 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Garfield County lands in the 64th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Garfield County comes in 535th by savings. Utah averages $1,791/year across the counties tracked here; Garfield County comes in 7% lower.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 5,906 HDD and 580 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from BOULDER, UT US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 5.3 miles from Garfield County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Garfield County 1222nd nationally by total degree days — the 61th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Garfield County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
If Garfield 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 $244/year — payback about 9.3 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Garfield County
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Garfield County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Garfield 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.