Stonewall County, TX Insulation Payback
Stonewall County attic insulation, by the numbers
DOE classifies Stonewall County as climate zone 3, hot-dry — scorching, dry summers where heat radiating straight through the roof does most of the damage. 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 $1,151 a year — payback in roughly 2.4 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
The breakdown behind the number
Split it out and it's roughly $769 a year on the heating side, $382 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Stonewall County lands in the 28th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Stonewall County comes in 161st by savings. Texas averages $1,035/year across the counties tracked here; Stonewall County comes in 11% higher.
The climate data behind this
Stonewall County's climate figures — 2,897 heating and 2,400 cooling degree days a year — are read from ASPERMONT, TX US, 2.2 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Stonewall County 2072nd nationally by total degree days — the 34th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Stonewall County sits in moisture regime B (dry), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
Already have a few inches up there? Topping R-11 up to R-38 runs about $1,620 for about $155/year saved — roughly 10.4 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Getting it done in Stonewall County
Actual quotes will vary by attic access, existing debris, and whether the job needs air sealing first. Treat the $2,820 figure above as a planning number for Stonewall County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Stonewall County'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.