Patillas Municipio, PR Insulation Payback
Patillas Municipio attic insulation, by the numbers
Patillas Municipio, Puerto Rico is zone 1 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Humid), which means humid heat for much of the year, with cooling running far more than heating ever does. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-30. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-30 costs roughly $1,680 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 1.8 years at an estimated $924/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Patillas Municipio
Split it out and it's roughly $0 a year on the heating side, $924 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Patillas Municipio lands in the 11th percentile nationally. Zone 1 alone covers 81 counties in this dataset, and Patillas Municipio comes in 6th by savings. Puerto Rico averages $660/year across the counties tracked here; Patillas Municipio comes in 40% higher.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's GUAYAMA 2E, PR RQ station, 6.8 miles from Patillas Municipio, supplies the 0 HDD and 5,958 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Patillas Municipio in the 51th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Patillas Municipio sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
Already have some insulation?
A shallower starting point changes the math: with R-11 already down, only the gap to R-25 needs filling, at roughly $840 for an estimated $101/year saved (~8.3-year payback). Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Patillas Municipio
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $1,680 figure above as a planning number for Patillas Municipio, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Patillas Municipio's R-30 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-30 is the target here specifically.