Quitman County, MS Insulation Payback
Quitman County attic insulation, by the numbers
Quitman County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (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-49. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-49 costs around $2,820 and saves an estimated $1,148 a year — payback in roughly 2.5 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $804 a year on the heating side, $344 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Quitman County lands in the 27th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Quitman County comes in 165th by savings. Mississippi averages $1,022/year across the counties tracked here; Quitman County comes in 12% higher.
Quitman County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's LAMBERT 1W, MS US station, 3.3 miles from Quitman County, supplies the 3,029 HDD and 2,158 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Quitman County in the 31th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Quitman 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-38 runs about $1,620 for about $155/year saved — roughly 10.5 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Quitman County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Quitman County's R-49 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-49 is the target here specifically.