Shoshone County, ID Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Shoshone County, ID
Shoshone County, Idaho is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. 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 1.7 years at an estimated $2,016/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $1,983/year comes from reduced heating and $32/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Shoshone County beats 83% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 745 counties DOE places in zone 5, Shoshone County ranks 34th. Against Idaho's own average of $1,995/year, Shoshone County runs 1% above that.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's MULLAN, ID US station, 8.9 miles from Shoshone County, supplies the 7,417 HDD and 202 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Shoshone County sits at the 81th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Shoshone County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
If Shoshone 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 $294/year — payback about 7.8 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
Getting it done in Shoshone 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 Shoshone County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
More on how this was built
Nothing here is a guess: the methodology guide names the DOE climate map and NOAA station data behind every number on this page. See the DIY vs. contractor guide for whether a job this size is realistic to do yourself.