Ceiba Municipio, PR Insulation Payback
Ceiba Municipio attic insulation, by the numbers
Ceiba Municipio sits in IECC climate zone 1 (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-30. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-30 costs around $1,680 and saves an estimated $877 a year — payback in roughly 1.9 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $0 a year on the heating side, $877 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Ceiba Municipio lands in the 8th percentile nationally. Zone 1 alone covers 81 counties in this dataset, and Ceiba Municipio comes in 9th by savings. Puerto Rico averages $660/year across the counties tracked here; Ceiba Municipio comes in 33% higher.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's ROOSEVELT ROADS, PR RQ station, 1.3 miles from Ceiba Municipio, supplies the 0 HDD and 5,657 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Ceiba Municipio in the 44th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Ceiba Municipio sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-25 runs about $840 for about $96/year saved — roughly 8.8 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Ceiba Municipio attic
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 Ceiba Municipio's estimated $877/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Ceiba Municipio's R-30 target and its degree-day figures both come from named federal sources - see the methodology guide for exactly which ones. The guide to what R-value actually means explains why R-30 is the target here specifically.