Pulaski County, MO Insulation Payback
Pulaski County attic insulation, by the numbers
Pulaski 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 2.5 years at an estimated $1,415/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,191 a year on the heating side, $225 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Pulaski County lands in the 47th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Pulaski County comes in 356th by savings. Missouri averages $1,534/year across the counties tracked here; Pulaski County comes in 8% lower.
Pulaski County's actual weather, not a national average
Pulaski County's climate figures — 4,453 heating and 1,399 cooling degree days a year — are read from WAYNESVILLE 2 W, MO US, 1.6 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. Combined heating and cooling load puts Pulaski County in the 48th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. 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.
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 $206/year saved — roughly 11 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.