Juab County, UT Insulation Payback
Juab County attic insulation, by the numbers
Juab 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. 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 $1,821 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.9 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Juab County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,681 a year on the heating side, $140 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Juab County lands in the 73th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Juab County comes in 263rd by savings. Utah averages $1,791/year across the counties tracked here; Juab County comes in 2% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's LITTLE SAHARA REC AREA, UT US station, 25.7 miles from Juab County, supplies the 6,286 HDD and 870 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Juab County sits at the 74th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Juab County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $266/year saved — roughly 8.6 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $3,480 as a starting estimate for a Juab County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Juab 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.