Union County, FL Insulation Payback

Union County attic insulation, by the numbers

DOE classifies Union County as climate zone 2, hot-humid — summers that stay hot and humid while winters barely register on the energy bill. Its recommended attic R-value for bare joists is 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 3.7 years at an estimated $765/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself here.

Heating vs. cooling in Union County

Split it out and it's roughly $395 a year on the heating side, $370 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Union County lands in the 3th percentile nationally. Zone 2 alone covers 233 counties in this dataset, and Union County comes in 197th by savings. Florida averages $743/year across the counties tracked here; Union County comes in 3% higher.

Union County's actual weather, not a national average

NOAA's LAKE CITY 2 E, FL US station, 16.3 miles from Union County, supplies the 1,489 HDD and 2,319 CDD this estimate runs on. Combined heating and cooling load puts Union County in the 1th percentile of this 3,162-county dataset. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Union County sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.

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 $103/year saved — roughly 15.7 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.

Quotes and materials for this job

Real bids depend on how easy the attic is to reach and whether old insulation needs removing first, so treat $2,820 as a starting estimate for a Union County job, not a quote. Expect at least a $600 minimum charge from most contractors.

Where these figures come from

Union 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.