Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
| Annual saving560 kWh of heat pump | $84 |
|---|---|
| Heat saved1,200 ft² × 6,300 HDD × 24 × 0.026 | 4.8MMBTU/yr |
| Cost — DIY material$0.030 per ft² per R | $684 |
| Cost — installed$0.060 per ft² per R | $1,368 |
| Payback — DIY | 8.1years |
| Payback — installed | 16.3years |
| 20-year return on DIY costinsulation does not wear out | 2.5× |
| First R-10 is worthgoing from R-19 up | $58/yr |
| Last R-10 is worthgoing from R-28 to R-38 | $30/yr |
| ClimateChicago, Denver, Boston | Zone 5 — 6,300 HDD |
| Heating systemCOP 2.5, $0.15/kWh assumed | Heat pump |
- Area
- 1200 ft²
- Existing R-value
- 19
- Target R-value
- 38
- Climate zone
- Zone 5
- Heating fuel
- a heat pump
The saving
1200 ft² going from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 (6,300 heating degree days — Chicago, Denver, Boston) cuts about 4.8 MMBTU a year of heat loss. On a heat pump that is 560 kWh of fuel, worth $84 a year.
Payback
DIY material comes to about $684, which pays back in 8.1 years. Contractor-installed runs near $1,368 and pays back in 16.3. Over twenty years the DIY cost returns 2.5 times over — insulation has no moving parts and does not wear out.
Why the last inch is nearly worthless
This is the part almost nobody calculates, and it changes decisions.
Savings follow the difference between two reciprocals, not the difference between two R-values. The first R-10 of this upgrade is worth $58 a year. The last R-10 is worth $30.
That is why "more R is always better" is bad advice. Past a point you are buying insulation whose payback is longer than the roof above it.
Climate is half the answer
The same job saves $84 in Zone 5. In Zone 6 at 7,900 HDD it would save $105; in Zone 2 at 1,500 HDD, $20. Advice written for one climate is simply wrong in another, and most insulation advice on the internet does not say which climate it was written for.
What is assumed
Fuel priced at the US average, and the relationship is linear — scale it for your own bill. Utility rates vary by more than a factor of two across the country, which is enough to move a ten-year payback either side of five.
Notes
- **The first R-10 does most of the work.** Going from R-19 up buys $58 a year; the last R-10 of this upgrade buys $30. Savings track the difference between two *reciprocals*, not the difference between two R-values, so every additional inch returns less than the one before it. "More R is always better" is how people talk themselves into a 30-year payback.
- A 8.1-year DIY payback is reasonable but not spectacular. It beats doing nothing if you are staying in the house; if you might move within five years, the return goes to whoever buys it.
- Climate is half the answer. The same job in Zone 5 (6,300 HDD) saves $84; in Zone 6 at 7,900 HDD it would save $105, and in Zone 2 at 1,500 HDD only $20. Advice written for one climate is wrong in another.
- A heat pump moves heat rather than making it, so each unit of electricity delivers 2.5 units of heat. That is exactly why insulation pays back more slowly on a heat pump — the heat you are keeping in was cheap to produce in the first place.
- Prices assumed: $0.15 per kWh. Scale the saving straight through for your own rate — the relationship is linear, and utility rates vary by more than a factor of two across the US.
- Existing R-value is taken as installed and dry. Insulation that has been compressed, wetted or walked on performs below its label, so real savings on an old attic often run higher than this.
Nearby sizes
- Insulation payback for 1000 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1400 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 800 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1600 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-11 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-30 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-0 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-30 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-49 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-60 in Zone 5 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 4 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 6 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 3 heating with a heat pump
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with electric resistance
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with propane
- Insulation payback for 1200 ft² from R-19 to R-38 in Zone 5 heating with natural gas
Read more
- Finding Your IECC Climate Zone, and Why the Map Is Not the AnswerClimate zones are assigned by county, not by zip code. Where the two disagree, the county wins — and they disagree more often than you would expect.
- Zone 5 Attic Insulation: The Target, the Depth, and the Top-Up MathsZone 5 covers a large share of the country and sits right on the step where the code moved from R-49 to R-60. Which one applies to you is a local question.
- R-38 vs R-49 vs R-60: What Each Step Actually RemovesEach step up removes less than the one before it. Knowing how much less is the difference between a sensible upgrade and buying insulation you will never notice.
- R-Value by Climate Zone: Ceilings, Walls and Floors in One TableThe whole envelope in one table, plus the thing nobody says out loud — the edition your jurisdiction enforces may be two cycles behind the current one.