Sublette County, WY Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Sublette County, WY
DOE classifies Sublette County as climate zone 7, very cold — winters long and harsh enough that heating is essentially the entire equation. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 1.3 years at an estimated $2,682/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $2,679/year comes from reduced heating and $3/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Sublette County beats 99% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 120 counties DOE places in zone 7, Sublette County ranks 24th. Against Wyoming's own average of $2,161/year, Sublette County runs 24% above that.
Sublette County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 10,018 HDD and 20 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from PINEDALE, WY US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 7.9 miles from Sublette County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Sublette County 40th nationally by total degree days — the 99th percentile.
Already have some insulation?
If Sublette 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 $391/year — payback about 5.8 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
Getting it done in Sublette 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 Sublette County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
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.