Slope County, ND Insulation Payback
Slope County attic insulation, by the numbers
Slope County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. 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 $2,227 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.6 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $2,138 a year on the heating side, $89 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Slope County lands in the 91th percentile nationally. Zone 6 alone covers 459 counties in this dataset, and Slope County comes in 165th by savings. North Dakota averages $2,496/year across the counties tracked here; Slope County comes in 11% lower.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's AMIDON, ND US station, 7.1 miles from Slope County, supplies the 7,995 HDD and 554 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Slope County in the 91th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Slope County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $325/year saved — roughly 7 years to break even. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Next steps for a Slope County attic
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 Slope County's estimated $2,227/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Slope 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.