Terry County, TX Insulation Payback
Attic insulation payback for Terry County, TX
Terry County, Texas is zone 3 under DOE's climate map (Hot-Dry), which means desert-dry heat for much of the year, with the attic taking the brunt of it. An uninsulated attic there should be built up to R-49. Going from R-2 to the recommended R-49 costs roughly $2,820 installed for a typical attic (about 1,000 sq ft), and pays for itself in about 2.4 years at an estimated $1,164/year saved. Hard to find a home improvement with a faster payback than this.
The breakdown behind the number
Of that, about $867/year comes from reduced heating and $297/year from reduced cooling load through the ceiling. Terry County beats 29% of the counties in this 3,162-county dataset on estimated insulation savings. Among the 690 counties DOE places in zone 3, Terry County ranks 138th. Against Texas's own average of $1,035/year, Terry County runs 12% above that.
The climate data behind this
NOAA's BROWNFIELD #2, TX US station, 4.3 miles from Terry County, supplies the 3,268 HDD and 1,866 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Terry County sits at the 29th percentile nationally. DOE also classifies Terry County as moisture regime B (dry) - ask a local contractor whether that changes the vapor-barrier approach for this job.
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 $157/year saved — roughly 10.3 years to break even. It is close - the payback only just fits a reasonable timeframe.
Quotes and materials for this job
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 Terry County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
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.