Henry County, GA Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Henry County, GA
Henry County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Mixed-Humid) — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-49 costs roughly $2,820 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.6 years at an estimated $1,065/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $772/year comes from reduced heating and $294/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Henry County beats 22% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Henry County ranks 320th. Against Georgia's own average of $974/year, Henry County runs 9% above that.
Henry County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's MCDONOUGH 5 ENE, GA US station, 7.1 miles from Henry County, supplies the 2,908 HDD and 1,844 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Henry County 2578th nationally by total degree days — the 18th percentile. DOE also classifies Henry County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
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 $143/year saved (~11.3-year payback). It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
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 $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Henry County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
More on how this was built
Nothing here is a guess: the methodology guide names the DOE climate map and NOAA station data behind every number on this page. See the DIY vs. contractor guide for whether a job this size is realistic to do yourself.