Kearny County, KS Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Kearny County, KS
Kearny County sits in IECC climate zone 4 (Mixed-Humid) — heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. 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 $1,546 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.3 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,302/year comes from reduced heating and $244/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Kearny County beats 56% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, Kearny County ranks 106th. Against Kansas's own average of $1,594/year, Kearny County runs 3% below that.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 4,870 HDD and 1,520 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from LAKIN, KS US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 4.9 miles from Kearny County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Kearny County 1280th nationally by total degree days — the 60th percentile. DOE also classifies Kearny County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $226/year saved — roughly 10.1 years to break even. 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 $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Kearny 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.