Vernon County, WI Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Vernon County, WI
Vernon County sits in IECC climate zone 6 (Cold) — cold enough that heating, not cooling, is what decides the bill. 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 $2,238 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 1.6 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Vernon County
Of that, about $2,174/year comes from reduced heating and $64/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Vernon County beats 91% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 459 counties DOE places in zone 6, Vernon County ranks 156th. Against Wisconsin's own average of $2,200/year, Vernon County runs 2% above that.
Vernon County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 8,132 HDD and 396 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from VIROQUA, WI US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 3.9 miles from Vernon County's center. By total degree days, Vernon County sits at the 91th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Vernon County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $326/year saved — roughly 7 years to break even. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
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 Vernon County's estimated $2,238/year on the line.
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.