McIntosh County, ND Insulation Payback
McIntosh County attic insulation, by the numbers
McIntosh County, North Dakota is zone 6 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. 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 $2,483 a year — payback in roughly 1.4 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $2,415 a year on the heating side, $68 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, McIntosh County lands in the 97th percentile nationally. Zone 6 alone covers 459 counties in this dataset, and McIntosh County comes in 17th by savings. North Dakota averages $2,496/year across the counties tracked here; McIntosh County comes in 1% lower.
McIntosh County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 9,031 HDD and 424 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from ASHLEY, ND US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 5 miles from McIntosh County's center. Combined heating and cooling load puts McIntosh County in the 97th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: McIntosh County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
If McIntosh County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-49. That smaller top-up costs around $2,280 and saves an estimated $362/year — payback about 6.3 years. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Getting it done in McIntosh County
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 McIntosh County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
McIntosh 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.