Smith County, KS Insulation Payback
Smith County attic insulation, by the numbers
Smith County sits in IECC climate zone 5 (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 $1,725 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,509 a year on the heating side, $216 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Smith County lands in the 68th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Smith County comes in 434th by savings. Kansas averages $1,594/year across the counties tracked here; Smith County comes in 8% higher.
Smith County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 5,645 HDD and 1,342 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from SMITH CTR, KS US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 0.6 miles from Smith County's center. Combined heating and cooling load puts Smith County in the 71th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Smith County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-49 needs filling, at roughly $2,280 for an estimated $252/year saved (~9.1-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Smith County
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $3,480 as a starting estimate for a Smith County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Smith 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.