Marshall County, KS Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Marshall County, KS
Marshall County, Kansas is zone 4 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-60. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-60 costs around $3,480 and saves an estimated $1,694 a year — payback in roughly 2.1 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,476/year comes from reduced heating and $218/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Marshall County beats 66% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, Marshall County ranks 6th. Against Kansas's own average of $1,594/year, Marshall County runs 6% above that.
Marshall County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's MARYSVILLE, KS US station, 7.2 miles from Marshall County, supplies the 5,522 HDD and 1,355 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Marshall County sits at the 68th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Marshall 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 $247/year saved — roughly 9.2 years to break even. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
Get more than one quote before committing. Attic access and any needed air sealing move the price around, and most contractors won't take a job below roughly $600 regardless of size - worth asking upfront given Marshall County's estimated $1,694/year on the line.
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.