Morrow County, OH Insulation Payback
Morrow County, OH: what topping up your attic actually costs
Morrow County sits in IECC climate zone 5 (Cold) — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building 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 $1,764 a year — payback in roughly 2 years. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
Heating vs. cooling in Morrow County
The estimated savings split roughly $1,642/year heating, $122/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Morrow County's savings potential beats roughly 70 of them. Within zone 5 specifically, it ranks 363rd of 745 counties by estimated savings. Ohio averages $1,669/year across the counties tracked here; Morrow County comes in 6% higher.
Morrow County's actual weather, not a national average
Morrow County's climate figures — 6,142 heating and 759 cooling degree days a year — are read from GALION WTR WKS, OH US, 13.7 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. Combined heating and cooling load puts Morrow County in the 69th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. Morrow County falls in DOE's moisture regime A (humid), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
The smaller top-up scenario
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-49 needs filling, at roughly $2,280 for an estimated $257/year saved (~8.9-year payback). This one is a genuine toss-up, not a clear yes.
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 Morrow County's estimated $1,764/year on the line.
Nothing here is a guess
Every figure on this page traces to DOE/IECC climate zones and NOAA degree-day normals, documented in the methodology guide. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.