Union Parish, LA Insulation Payback
Union Parish attic insulation, by the numbers
Union Parish, Louisiana is zone 3 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-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 2.8 years at an estimated $1,008/year saved. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Union Parish
Split it out and it's roughly $628 a year on the heating side, $379 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Union Parish lands in the 17th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Union Parish comes in 454th by savings. Louisiana averages $906/year across the counties tracked here; Union Parish comes in 11% higher.
Where these numbers come from
NOAA's FARMERVILLE, LA US station, 4.2 miles from Union Parish, supplies the 2,368 HDD and 2,380 CDD this estimate runs on. By total degree days, Union Parish sits at the 18th percentile nationally. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Union Parish sits in moisture regime A (humid), which can affect the vapor-barrier choice.
If the attic isn't bare
If Union Parish's attic already has 3-4 inches of old insulation (about R-11) rather than bare joists, the recommended target drops to R-38. That smaller top-up costs around $1,620 and saves an estimated $136/year — payback about 11.9 years. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
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 Union Parish, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Union Parish'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.