Burnet County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Burnet County, TX
Burnet County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Hot-Humid) — humid heat for much of the year, with cooling running far more than heating ever does. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-49 costs roughly $2,820 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.9 years at an estimated $983/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $600/year comes from reduced heating and $383/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Burnet County beats 16% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Burnet County ranks 505th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Burnet County runs 5% below that.
Burnet County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 2,262 HDD and 2,405 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from BURNET, TX US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 2.9 miles from Burnet County's center. By total degree days, Burnet County sits at the 16th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Burnet County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
If Burnet County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-38. That smaller top-up costs around $1,620 and saves an estimated $132/year — payback about 12.2 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
Get more than one quote before committing. Attic access and any needed air sealing move the price around, and most contractors won't take a job below roughly $600 regardless of size - worth asking upfront given Burnet County's estimated $983/year on the line.
More on how this was built
Nothing here is a guess: the methodology guide names the DOE climate map and NOAA station data behind every number on this page. See the DIY vs. contractor guide for whether a job this size is realistic to do yourself.