Bosque County, TX Insulation Payback
Bosque County, TX: what topping up your attic actually costs
Bosque County, Texas is zone 2 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Humid), which means summers that stay hot and humid while winters barely register on the energy bill. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-49. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-49 runs an estimated $2,820, and saves about $1,026 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.7 years.
That's about as fast as attic paybacks get.
Heating vs. cooling in Bosque County
The estimated savings split roughly $622/year heating, $404/year cooling. Out of every 100 US counties tracked here, Bosque County's savings potential beats roughly 18 of them. Within zone 2 specifically, it ranks 3rd of 233 counties by estimated savings. Texas averages $1,035/year across the counties tracked here; Bosque County comes in 1% lower.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's Whitney DAM, TX US station, 15.7 miles from Bosque County, supplies the 2,343 HDD and 2,537 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Bosque County in the 22nd percentile of this 3,171-county dataset. Bosque County falls in DOE's moisture regime A (humid), a detail that affects vapor-barrier recommendations more than the R-value target itself.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-38 runs about $1,620 for about $138/year saved — roughly 11.7 years to break even. This one is a genuine toss-up, not a clear yes.
Quotes and materials for this job
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first, so treat the $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Bosque County, not a bid. Worth getting quotes from at least two local contractors before committing - most 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-49 is the target here specifically.