Sagadahoc County, ME Insulation Payback
Sagadahoc County attic insulation, by the numbers
Sagadahoc County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-60. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-60 runs an estimated $3,480, and saves about $2,092 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.7 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $2,050 a year on the heating side, $42 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Sagadahoc County lands in the 86th percentile nationally. Zone 6 alone covers 459 counties in this dataset, and Sagadahoc County comes in 300th by savings. Maine averages $2,159/year across the counties tracked here; Sagadahoc County comes in 3% lower.
The climate data behind this
Sagadahoc County's climate figures — 7,668 heating and 259 cooling degree days a year — are read from BATH, ME US, 1.2 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. Combined heating and cooling load puts Sagadahoc County in the 85th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Sagadahoc County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
If Sagadahoc 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 $305/year — payback about 7.5 years. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
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 $3,480 figure above as a planning number for Sagadahoc County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Sagadahoc 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.