De Baca County, NM Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for De Baca County, NM
De Baca County, New Mexico is zone 4 under DOE's climate map (Mixed-Dry), which means big seasonal swings - a dry hot summer, then a real winter cold snap. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-60. For an attic around 1,000 square feet, closing the gap from R-2 to R-60 costs around $3,480 and saves an estimated $1,239 a year — payback in roughly 2.8 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $979/year comes from reduced heating and $260/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. De Baca County beats 34% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 825 counties DOE places in zone 4, De Baca County ranks 701st. Against New Mexico's own average of $1,423/year, De Baca County runs 13% below that.
Where these numbers come from
De Baca County's climate figures — 3,661 heating and 1,620 cooling degree days a year — are read from FT SUMNER 5 S, NM US, 7.2 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks De Baca County 2102nd nationally by total degree days — the 34th percentile. DOE also classifies De Baca County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-49 runs about $2,280 for about $181/year saved — roughly 12.6 years to break even. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $3,480 figure above as a planning number for De Baca County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.