Wichita County, TX Insulation Payback
Wichita County attic insulation, by the numbers
Wichita County sits in IECC climate zone 3 (Mixed-Humid) — real heating and real cooling seasons both, roughly balanced across the year. For a currently uninsulated attic, DOE and ENERGY STAR recommend building up to R-49. Topping up a typical 1,000-square-foot attic from bare joists (R-2) to R-49 runs an estimated $2,820, and saves about $1,158 a year in heating and cooling — a payback around 2.4 years. Topping up the attic pays for itself fast here.
Heating vs. cooling in Wichita County
Split it out and it's roughly $769 a year on the heating side, $390 on cooling. By estimated insulation savings, Wichita County lands in the 28th percentile nationally. Zone 3 alone covers 690 counties in this dataset, and Wichita County comes in 152nd by savings. Texas averages $1,035/year across the counties tracked here; Wichita County comes in 12% higher.
Wichita County's actual weather, not a national average
Wichita County's climate figures — 2,897 heating and 2,445 cooling degree days a year — are read from WICHITA FALLS MUNI AP, TX US, 12.3 miles away, NOAA's nearest 1991-2020 normals station. That combined heating-and-cooling load ranks Wichita County 2037th nationally by total degree days — the 36th percentile. One local detail the R-value alone won't tell you: Wichita 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 $156/year saved — roughly 10.4 years to break even. Call this borderline rather than a clear win.
Next steps for a Wichita County attic
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 Wichita County, not a bid - contractors typically charge a $600 minimum regardless of job size.
Where these figures come from
Wichita 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.