Marshall County, WV Insulation Payback
Marshall County attic insulation, by the numbers
Marshall County, West Virginia is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 2.2 years at an estimated $1,590/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,451 a year on the heating side, $138 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Marshall County lands in the 59th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Marshall County comes in 650th by savings. West Virginia averages $1,526/year across the counties tracked here; Marshall County comes in 4% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's MOUNDSVILLE, WV US station, 5.7 miles from Marshall County, supplies the 5,428 HDD and 861 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Marshall County 1337th nationally by total degree days — the 58th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Marshall County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
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 $232/year saved — roughly 9.8 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Marshall 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 Marshall County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Marshall County's R-60 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-60 is the target here specifically.