Hancock County, IA Insulation Payback
Hancock County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Hancock County as climate zone 6, cold — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. 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 $2,169 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.6 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $2,064 a year on the heating side, $104 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Hancock County lands in the 89th percentile nationally. Zone 6 alone covers 459 counties in this dataset, and Hancock County comes in 219th by savings. Iowa averages $1,985/year across the counties tracked here; Hancock County comes in 9% higher.
Where these numbers come from
Hancock County's climate figures — 7,721 heating and 650 cooling degree days a year — are read from BRITT 3E, IA US, 2.1 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Hancock County 331st nationally by total degree days — the 90th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Hancock County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $316/year saved — roughly 7.2 years to break even. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Getting it done in Hancock County
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 Hancock County's estimated $2,169/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Hancock 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.