Gonzales County, TX Insulation Payback
Gonzales County attic insulation, by the numbers
Gonzales County, Texas is zone 2 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Humid), which means long, muggy summers and mild winters, where cooling dominates the energy bill. An uninsulated attic there should be built 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 3.1 years at an estimated $902/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $422 a year on the heating side, $480 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Gonzales County lands in the 10th percentile nationally. Zone 2 alone covers 233 counties in this dataset, and Gonzales County comes in 40th by savings. Texas averages $1,035/year across the counties tracked here; Gonzales County comes in 13% lower.
Where these numbers come from
The heating and cooling degree days behind this estimate — 1,592 HDD and 3,009 CDD (base 65°F, 1991-2020 normals) — come from GONZALES 2S, TX US, the nearest NOAA station with published normals, 2.8 miles from Gonzales County's center. By total degree days, Gonzales County sits at the 14th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Gonzales County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
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 $121/year saved (~13.3-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Gonzales County attic
Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Gonzales County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.
Where these figures come from
Gonzales County's R-49 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-49 is the target here specifically.