Greene County, VA Insulation Payback
Greene County attic insulation, by the numbers
Greene County, Virginia is zone 4 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to 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 $1,248 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.8 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Greene County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,007 a year on the heating side, $240 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Greene County lands in the 34th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Greene County comes in 690th by savings. Virginia averages $1,342/year across the counties tracked here; Greene County comes in 7% lower.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 3,767 HDD and 1,497 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from CHARLOTTESVILLE AP, VA US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 11.1 miles from Greene County's center. Combined heating and cooling load puts Greene County in the 33th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Greene 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-49 needs filling, at roughly $2,280 for an estimated $182/year saved (~12.5-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Greene County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Greene 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.