Harvey County, KS Insulation Payback
Harvey County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Harvey County as climate zone 4, mixed-humid — a genuine mix of cold winters and humid summers, with neither one dominating the bill. 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 2.2 years at an estimated $1,557/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,290 a year on the heating side, $266 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Harvey County lands in the 57th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Harvey County comes in 87th by savings. Kansas averages $1,594/year across the counties tracked here; Harvey County comes in 2% lower.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 4,826 HDD and 1,657 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from NEWTON, KS US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 4.8 miles from Harvey County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Harvey County 1224th nationally by total degree days — the 61th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Harvey County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
If Harvey 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 $227/year — payback about 10 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Harvey County attic
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 Harvey County's estimated $1,557/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Harvey 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.