Wells County, ND Insulation Payback
Wells County, ND: what topping up your attic actually costs
Wells County, North Dakota is zone 7 under DOE's climate map (Very Cold), which means winters long and harsh enough that heating is essentially the entire equation. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to 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 $2,491 a year — payback in roughly 1.4 years. That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
Where the savings come from
The estimated savings split roughly $2,433/year heating, $58/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Wells County's savings potential beats roughly 97 of them. Within zone 7 specifically, it ranks 71st of 120 counties by estimated savings. North Dakota averages $2,496/year across the counties tracked here; Wells County comes in 0% higher.
The climate data behind this
Wells County's climate figures — 9,098 heating and 364 cooling degree days a year — are read from FESSENDEN, ND US, 5.3 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Wells County 87th nationally by total degree days — the 97th percentile.
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 $363/year saved (~6.3-year payback). That is a solid payback as home upgrades go.
Next steps for a Wells County attic
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 Wells County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.