Meigs County, TN Insulation Payback
Meigs County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Meigs 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. 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 2.8 years at an estimated $1,228/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $1,006 a year on the heating side, $222 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Meigs County lands in the 33th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Meigs County comes in 715th by savings. Tennessee averages $1,258/year across the counties tracked here; Meigs County comes in 2% lower.
Where these numbers come from
Meigs County's climate figures — 3,762 heating and 1,385 cooling degree days a year — are read from DAYTON 2SE, TN US, 10.5 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Meigs County sits at the 30th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Meigs County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
If Meigs 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 $179/year — payback about 12.7 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
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 Meigs County's estimated $1,228/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Meigs 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.