Greer County, OK Insulation Payback
Greer County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Greer County as climate zone 3, mixed-humid — heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is R-49. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-49 runs an estimated $2,820, and saves about $1,271 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.2 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Greer County
Split it out and it's roughly $949 a year on the heating side, $322 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Greer County lands in the 36th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Greer County comes in 41st by savings. Oklahoma averages $1,260/year across the counties tracked here; Greer County comes in 1% higher.
Greer County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 3,577 HDD and 2,023 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from MANGUM, OK US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 4.1 miles from Greer County's center. Combined heating and cooling load puts Greer County in the 42th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Greer 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 $171/year saved (~9.5-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Greer County's estimated $1,271/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Greer 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.