Hardy County, WV Insulation Payback
Hardy County attic insulation, by the numbers
Hardy County sits in IECC climate zone 5 (Cold) — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and Energy Star recommend building up to R-60. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-60 costs around $3,480 and saves an estimated $1,615 a year — payback in roughly 2.2 years.
Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,530 a year on the heating side, $85 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Hardy County lands in the 60th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 754 counties in this dataset, and Hardy County comes in 630th by savings. West Virginia averages $1,526/year across the counties tracked here; Hardy County comes in 6% higher.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 5,722 HDD and 530 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from Lost RVR, WV US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 5.1 miles from Hardy County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Hardy County 1363rd nationally by total degree days — the 57th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Hardy 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 $236/year saved (~9.7-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Hardy County
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first, so treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Hardy County, not a bid. Worth getting quotes from at least two local contractors before committing - most charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Hardy 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.