Lares Municipio, PR Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Lares Municipio, PR
DOE classifies Lares Municipio as climate zone 1, hot-humid — summers that stay hot and humid while winters barely register on the energy bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is R-30. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-30 runs an estimated $1,680, and saves about $371 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 4.5 years. Worth doing on the numbers alone.
Heating vs. cooling in Lares Municipio
Of that, about $4/year comes from reduced heating and $367/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Lares Municipio beats 0% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 81 counties DOE places in zone 1, Lares Municipio ranks 72nd. Against Puerto Rico's own average of $660/year, Lares Municipio runs 44% below that.
Where these numbers come from
Lares Municipio's climate figures — 16 heating and 2,368 cooling degree days a year — are read from ADJUNTAS SUBSTN, PR RQ, 8.5 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Lares Municipio 3153rd nationally by total degree days — the 0th percentile. DOE also classifies Lares Municipio as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-25 runs about $840 for about $41/year saved — roughly 20.7 years to break even. The payback here is longer than the analysis horizon.
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 Lares Municipio's estimated $371/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.