Culebra Municipio, PR Insulation Payback
Culebra Municipio attic insulation, by the numbers
Culebra 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. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-30 costs roughly $1,680 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 1.8 years at an estimated $956/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Culebra Municipio
Split it out and it's roughly $0 a year on the heating side, $956 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Culebra Municipio lands in the 13th percentile nationally. Zone 1 alone covers 81 counties in this dataset, and Culebra Municipio comes in 2nd by savings. Puerto Rico averages $660/year across the counties tracked here; Culebra Municipio comes in 45% higher.
The climate data behind this
Culebra Municipio's climate figures — 0 heating and 6,165 cooling degree days a year — are read from CHARLOTTE AMALIE AP, VI VQ, 22.4 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. Combined heating and cooling load puts Culebra Municipio in the 55th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Culebra Municipio sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
If Culebra Municipio's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-25. That smaller top-up costs around $840 and saves an estimated $104/year — payback about 8.1 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Culebra Municipio
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $1,680 as a starting estimate for a Culebra Municipio job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Culebra 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.