Logan County, AR Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Logan County, AR
Logan 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. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-49 costs around $2,820 and saves an estimated $1,219 a year — payback in roughly 2.3 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $914/year comes from reduced heating and $305/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Logan County beats 33% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Logan County ranks 75th. Against Arkansas's own average of $1,185/year, Logan County runs 3% above that.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 3,446 HDD and 1,914 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from SUBIACO, AR US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 7.5 miles from Logan County's center. By total degree days, Logan County sits at the 36th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Logan County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
If Logan 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 $164/year — payback about 9.9 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
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 $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Logan County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
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.