Morris County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Morris County, TX
DOE classifies Morris County as climate zone 3, hot-humid — long, muggy summers and mild winters, where cooling dominates the energy bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is R-49. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-49 runs an estimated $2,820, and saves about $1,048 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.7 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $664/year comes from reduced heating and $385/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Morris County beats 20% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Morris County ranks 366th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Morris County runs 1% above that.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's DAINGERFIELD 9 S, TX US station, 13.6 miles from Morris County, supplies the 2,501 HDD and 2,415 CDD this estimate runs on. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Morris County 2425th nationally by total degree days — the 23th percentile. DOE also classifies Morris County as moisture regime A (humid) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
Already have some insulation?
If Morris County's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-38. That smaller top-up costs around $1,620 and saves an estimated $141/year — payback about 11.5 years. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
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 Morris County's estimated $1,048/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.