Sullivan County, PA Insulation Payback
Sullivan County attic insulation, by the numbers
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania is zone 5 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means winters that dominate the energy bill, with cooling a minor factor. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 $2,061 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.7 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $2,015 a year on the heating side, $45 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Sullivan County lands in the 85th percentile nationally. Zone 5 alone covers 745 counties in this dataset, and Sullivan County comes in 20th by savings. Pennsylvania averages $1,724/year across the counties tracked here; Sullivan County comes in 20% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's LAPORTE, PA US station, 1.5 miles from Sullivan County, supplies the 7,537 HDD and 282 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Sullivan County in the 84th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Sullivan 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 $301/year saved — roughly 7.6 years to break even. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Next steps for a Sullivan 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 Sullivan County's estimated $2,061/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Sullivan 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.