Logan County, ND Insulation Payback
Logan County, ND: what topping up your attic actually costs
Logan County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-60. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-60 costs roughly $3,480 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 1.4 years at an estimated $2,495/year saved. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
The breakdown behind the number
The estimated savings split roughly $2,424/year heating, $71/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Logan County's savings potential beats roughly 97 of them. Within zone 6 specifically, it ranks 14th of 459 counties by estimated savings. North Dakota averages $2,496/year across the counties tracked here; Logan County comes in 0% higher.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's NAPOLEON, ND US station, 12.9 miles from Logan County, supplies the 9,065 HDD and 441 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Logan County sits at the 97th percentile nationally. Logan County falls in DOE's moisture regime A (humid), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
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 $364/year saved — roughly 6.3 years to break even. That is a solid payback as home upgrades go.
Next steps for a Logan County attic
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 Logan County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Nothing here is a guess
Every figure on this page traces to DOE/IECC climate zones and NOAA degree-day normals, documented in the methodology guide. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.