Home Insulation R-Value Savings Calculator

Estimate your annual heating and cooling cost savings when upgrading your home's insulation from a current R-value to a higher R-value.

Insulated Area (sq ft)

Current R-Value

Upgraded R-Value

Heating Degree Days (HDD)

Cooling Degree Days (CDD)

Heating System Efficiency (AFUE or COP, e.g. 0.80 for gas, 3.0 for heat pump)

Cooling System SEER (e.g. 14)

Heating Energy Cost ($/MMBtu for gas; $/kWh for electric)

Heating Fuel Type

Electricity Cost for Cooling ($/kWh)

Annual BTU Reduction (heating or cooling):

ΔQ = Area (ft²) × Degree Days × 24 hr/day × (1/R_current − 1/R_new)

Heating Savings (gas): Savings = ΔQ_heat ÷ (η × 1,000,000) × Cost_gas

Heating Savings (electric): Savings = ΔQ_heat ÷ (COP_heat × 3,412.14) × Cost_elec

Cooling COP: COP_cool = SEER ÷ 3.412

Cooling Savings: Savings = ΔQ_cool ÷ (COP_cool × 3,412.14) × Cost_elec

Simple Payback: Payback = Estimated Install Cost ÷ Total Annual Savings

Reference: DOE Energy Saver – Insulation; ASHRAE 90.1 Standard; Oak Ridge National Laboratory Building Envelope Research.

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