Washakie County, WY Insulation Payback
Washakie County, WY: what topping up your attic actually costs
Washakie County, Wyoming is zone 6 under DOE's climate map (Cold), which means a real winter that drives most of the annual energy bill here. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 1.6 years at an estimated $2,209/year saved. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
Where the savings come from
The estimated savings split roughly $2,125/year heating, $85/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Washakie County's savings potential beats roughly 90 of them. Within zone 6 specifically, it ranks 175th of 459 counties by estimated savings. Wyoming averages $2,161/year across the counties tracked here; Washakie County comes in 2% higher.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's WORLAND, WY US station, 15.3 miles from Washakie County, supplies the 7,946 HDD and 528 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Washakie County in the 91th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. Washakie County falls in DOE's moisture regime B (dry), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
Already have some insulation?
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $322/year saved — roughly 7.1 years to break even. That is a solid payback as home upgrades go.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Washakie County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Nothing here is a guess
Every figure on this page traces to DOE/IECC climate zones and NOAA degree-day normals, documented in the methodology guide. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-60 is the target here specifically.