Scurry County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Scurry County, TX
Scurry County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Hot-Dry) — intense summer heat with low humidity, where attic radiant heat gain is the main driver. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to 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 $1,118 a year — payback in roughly 2.5 years. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
Where the savings come from
Of that, about $757/year comes from reduced heating and $361/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Scurry County beats 25% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Scurry County ranks 217th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Scurry County runs 8% above that.
Scurry County's actual weather, not a national average
Scurry County's climate figures — 2,853 heating and 2,267 cooling degree days a year — are read from SNYDER, TX US, 2.4 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Scurry County 2243rd nationally by total degree days — the 29th percentile. DOE also classifies Scurry County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
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 $151/year saved (~10.8-year payback). 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 Scurry County's estimated $1,118/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.