Eastland County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Eastland County, TX
Eastland County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Mixed-Humid) — heating load in winter and cooling load in summer, both worth taking seriously here. 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 $1,076 a year — payback in roughly 2.6 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Heating vs. cooling in Eastland County
Of that, about $714/year comes from reduced heating and $362/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Eastland County beats 22% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Eastland County ranks 297th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Eastland County runs 4% above that.
Where these numbers come from
Eastland County's climate figures — 2,693 heating and 2,270 cooling degree days a year — are read from EASTLAND, TX US, 5.2 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. By total degree days, Eastland County sits at the 25th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Eastland 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 $145/year saved (~11.2-year payback). 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 $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Eastland 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.