Perry County, OH Insulation Payback
Perry County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Perry County as climate zone 5, cold — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,677 a year — payback in roughly 2.1 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Perry County
Split it out and it's roughly $1,568 a year on the heating side, $109 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Perry County lands in the 64th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Perry County comes in 525th by savings. Ohio averages $1,669/year across the counties tracked here; Perry County comes in 0% higher.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 5,864 HDD and 679 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from NEW LEXINGTON 2 NW, OH US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 1.4 miles from Perry County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Perry County 1192nd nationally by total degree days — the 62th 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.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $245/year saved — roughly 9.3 years to break even. 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 Perry County's estimated $1,677/year on the line.
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.