Spokane County, WA Insulation Payback
Spokane County attic insulation, by the numbers
Spokane County sits in IECC climate zone 5 (Cold) — a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building 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 2.1 years at an estimated $1,691/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Where the savings come from
Split it out and it's roughly $1,609 a year on the heating side, $81 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Spokane County lands in the 65th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Spokane County comes in 495th by savings. Washington averages $1,583/year across the counties tracked here; Spokane County comes in 7% higher.
Spokane County's actual weather, not a national average
NOAA's SPOKANE FELTS FLD, WA US station, 5.8 miles from Spokane County, supplies the 6,019 HDD and 507 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Spokane County 1200th nationally by total degree days — the 62th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Spokane County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $247/year saved — roughly 9.2 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Spokane County's estimated $1,691/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Spokane 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.