Perry County, IN Insulation Payback
Perry County attic insulation, by the numbers
Perry County sits in IECC climate zone 4 (Mixed-Humid) — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to 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 2.6 years at an estimated $1,339/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Perry County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,124 a year on the heating side, $215 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Perry County lands in the 42th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Perry County comes in 502nd by savings. Indiana averages $1,634/year across the counties tracked here; Perry County comes in 18% lower.
Perry County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's SAINT MEINRAD, IN US station, 11.5 miles from Perry County, supplies the 4,205 HDD and 1,337 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Perry County 1873rd nationally by total degree days — the 41th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Perry County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $195/year saved — roughly 11.7 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Perry County
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Perry County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Perry 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.