Lee County, AR Insulation Payback
Lee County attic insulation, by the numbers
Lee County, Arkansas is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means a genuine mix of cold winters and humid summers, with neither one dominating the bill. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 2.4 years at an estimated $1,158/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $826 a year on the heating side, $332 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Lee County lands in the 28th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Lee County comes in 151st by savings. Arkansas averages $1,185/year across the counties tracked here; Lee County comes in 2% lower.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 3,115 HDD and 2,081 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from MARIANNA 2 S, AR US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 2.9 miles from Lee County's center. By total degree days, Lee County sits at the 31th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Lee County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
If Lee County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-38. That smaller top-up costs around $1,620 and saves an estimated $156/year — payback about 10.4 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Lee County attic
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 Lee County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Lee County's R-49 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-49 is the target here specifically.