Morgan County, IN Insulation Payback
Morgan County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Morgan County as climate zone 5, cold — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,644 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.1 years.
Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Morgan County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,510 a year on the heating side, $134 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Morgan County lands in the 62nd percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 754 counties in this dataset, and Morgan County comes in 588th by savings. Indiana averages $1,634/year across the counties tracked here; Morgan County comes in 1% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's Martinsville 2 SW, IN US station, 5.4 miles from Morgan County, supplies the 5,647 HDD and 837 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Morgan County in the 61st percentile of this 3,171-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Morgan County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
If Morgan 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 $240/year — payback about 9.5 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Morgan County
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 Morgan County job, not a quote. You should get more than one quote before signing anything - expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Morgan 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.