Park County, WY Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Park County, WY
DOE classifies Park County as climate zone 6, 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 $2,045 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.7 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Park County
Of that, about $2,008/year comes from reduced heating and $37/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Park County beats 84% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 459 counties DOE places in zone 6, Park County ranks 356th. Against Wyoming's own average of $2,161/year, Park County runs 5% below that.
Park County's actual weather, not a national average
Park County's climate figures — 7,509 heating and 229 cooling degree days a year — are read from WAPITI 1WSW, WY US, 9 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Park County sits at the 83th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Park County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $298/year saved — roughly 7.6 years to break even. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
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 Park County's estimated $2,045/year on the line.
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.