Comanche County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Comanche County, TX
Comanche County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Hot-Humid) — long, muggy summers and mild winters, where cooling dominates the energy bill. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-49 costs around $2,820 and saves an estimated $1,014 a year — payback in roughly 2.8 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $585/year comes from reduced heating and $429/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Comanche County beats 18% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Comanche County ranks 438th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Comanche County runs 2% below that.
Where these numbers come from
Comanche County's climate figures — 2,205 heating and 2,689 cooling degree days a year — are read from PROCTOR RSVR, TX US, 3.3 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Comanche County 2450th nationally by total degree days — the 23th percentile. DOE also classifies Comanche County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-38 needs filling, at roughly $1,620 for an estimated $137/year saved (~11.9-year payback). 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 Comanche County's estimated $1,014/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.