Pulaski County, KY Insulation Payback
Pulaski County attic insulation, by the numbers
Pulaski County, Kentucky is zone 4 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Humid), which means heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 2.8 years at an estimated $1,265/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,032 a year on the heating side, $233 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Pulaski County lands in the 36th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Pulaski County comes in 647th by savings. Kentucky averages $1,385/year across the counties tracked here; Pulaski County comes in 9% lower.
Pulaski County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's SOMERSET 2 N, KY US station, 2.3 miles from Pulaski County, supplies the 3,861 HDD and 1,450 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Pulaski County sits at the 35th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Pulaski County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
If Pulaski 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 $185/year — payback about 12.4 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Pulaski County
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 Pulaski County's estimated $1,265/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Pulaski 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.