Concho County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Concho County, TX
Concho County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Hot-Dry) — desert-dry heat for much of the year, with the attic taking the brunt of it. 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 2.7 years at an estimated $1,048/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $693/year comes from reduced heating and $355/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Concho County beats 20% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Concho County ranks 365th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Concho County runs 1% above that.
Concho County's actual weather, not a national average
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 2,612 HDD and 2,229 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from EDEN, TX US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 6.8 miles from Concho County's center. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Concho County 2500th nationally by total degree days — the 21th percentile. DOE also classifies Concho County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
If Concho 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 $141/year — payback about 11.5 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 Concho County's estimated $1,048/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.