Martin County, KY Insulation Payback
Martin County attic insulation, by the numbers
Martin County sits in IECC climate zone 4 (Mixed-Humid) — heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-60. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-60 runs an estimated $3,480, and saves about $1,404 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.5 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Martin County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,240 a year on the heating side, $164 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Martin County lands in the 46th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Martin County comes in 384th by savings. Kentucky averages $1,385/year across the counties tracked here; Martin County comes in 1% higher.
Martin County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 4,639 HDD and 1,020 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from INEZ 2 E, KY US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 5.3 miles from Martin County's center. By total degree days, Martin County sits at the 44th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Martin County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $205/year saved — roughly 11.1 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Martin County attic
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 Martin County's estimated $1,404/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Martin 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.