McLean County, KY Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for McLean County, KY
DOE classifies McLean County as climate zone 4, mixed-humid — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,359 a year — payback in roughly 2.6 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,131/year comes from reduced heating and $227/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. McLean County beats 43% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, McLean County ranks 465th. Against Kentucky's own average of $1,385/year, McLean County runs 2% below that.
The climate data behind this
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 4,231 HDD and 1,416 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from CALHOUN LOCK 2, KY US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 0.4 miles from McLean County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks McLean County 1795th nationally by total degree days — the 43th percentile. DOE also classifies McLean 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 $198/year saved — roughly 11.5 years to break even. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Next steps for a McLean County attic
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $3,480 as a starting estimate for a McLean County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
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.