Ste. Genevieve County, MO Insulation Payback
Ste. Genevieve County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Ste. Genevieve County as climate zone 4, mixed-humid — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is R-60. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-60 costs around $3,480 and saves an estimated $1,458 a year — payback in roughly 2.4 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $1,224 a year on the heating side, $235 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Ste. Genevieve County lands in the 50th percentile nationally. Zone 4 alone covers 825 counties in this dataset, and Ste. Genevieve County comes in 265th by savings. Missouri averages $1,534/year across the counties tracked here; Ste. Genevieve County comes in 5% lower.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's KASKASKIA RVR NAVIGATION LOCK, IL US station, 13.5 miles from Ste. Genevieve County, supplies the 4,576 HDD and 1,461 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Ste. Genevieve County in the 52th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Ste. Genevieve County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
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 $213/year saved (~10.7-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
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 Ste. Genevieve County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Ste. Genevieve 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.