Morehouse Parish, LA Insulation Payback
Morehouse Parish attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Morehouse Parish as climate zone 3, mixed-humid — a genuine mix of cold winters and humid summers, with neither one dominating the bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 $1,053 a year — payback in roughly 2.7 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $718 a year on the heating side, $336 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Morehouse Parish lands in the 21th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Morehouse Parish comes in 350th by savings. Louisiana averages $906/year across the counties tracked here; Morehouse Parish comes in 16% higher.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's BASTROP, LA US station, 9 miles from Morehouse Parish, supplies the 2,705 HDD and 2,106 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Morehouse Parish in the 20th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Morehouse Parish sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
The smaller top-up scenario
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-38 runs about $1,620 for about $142/year saved — roughly 11.4 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
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 Morehouse Parish's estimated $1,053/year on the line.
Where these figures come from
Morehouse Parish'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.