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Robbinsville, NC
9 miles north
Center about 270 feet higher than Andrews'; Its NOAA station logs about 430 more heating degree days than Andrews'
Attic insulation in RobbinsvilleAttic Insulation in Andrews, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Andrews, NC, in Cherokee County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Andrews and Its Homes
Andrews, once called Valley Town, was laid out on land a railroad official bought in 1890, and the line from Asheville to Murphy stopped here by 1891. A lumber operation and a tannery followed, and the town grew fastest from the 1890s into the 1920s.
Andrews, in Cherokee County, grew from 1,673 people in 2020 to 1,799 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 1.65 square miles.
Andrews has about 1,080 housing units, 6 percent of Cherokee County's.
Andrews at a Glance
- County: Cherokee County
- Population: 1,799 (2025), 1,673 (2020), up 7.5%
- Land area: 1.65 square miles (1,090 people each)
- Housing units: about 1,080 (±164)
- Owner-occupied: 58% (±13); Cherokee County: 84%
- Detached houses: 46% (±9); Cherokee County: 76%
- Attached houses: 6% (±6)
- Apartments: 8% (±5)
- Mobile homes: 40% (±14)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Andrews attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Andrews, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Attic Insulation in Andrews
About 30 percent of Andrews' homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Andrews' center sits about 1,780 feet above sea level, under a mile from NOAA's Andrews station, the best match for Andrews. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,930 heating and 970 cooling degree days a year, so at Andrews' station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Readings change over short distances around Andrews: NOAA's Hayesville 1 NE station, 10 miles away, averages about 4,230 heating degree days.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
About 46 percent of Andrews housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built before 1940, 16 percent of Andrews homes can hide knob-and-tube wiring and vermiculite, jobs for an electrician and an asbestos contractor first. Built from 1970 to 1989, about 25 percent of Andrews homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
About 40 percent of Andrews' housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 16% (±5), about 170 units
- 1940s: under 5%, about 30 units
- 1950s: 1% (±1), about 15 units
- 1960s: 10% (±6), about 105 units
- 1970s: 12% (±6), about 130 units
- 1980s: 15% (±9), about 165 units
- 1990s: 34% (±14), about 370 units
- 2000s: 7% (±4), about 75 units
- 2010s: under 4%, about 20 units
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Andrews
In Andrews, about 80 percent of homes heat with electricity; where that heat is forced air, ducts often run through the attic.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Electricity: 80% (±12), about 760 households; Cherokee County: 70%
- Bottled or tank gas: 5% (±3), about 50 households
- Oil or kerosene: 8% (±5), about 75 households
- Wood: 6% (±5), about 55 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Carolinas supplies Andrews' electricity. Cherokee County has no gas franchise, so Andrews homes heat with electricity, propane, oil or wood. Duke's free House Call fits many Andrews homes: about 80 percent heat with electricity.
Rebate to check in Andrews: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Andrews, check its current terms; the Cherokee County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Andrews
In an Andrews attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Andrews attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Andrews
Nearest to Andrews first.
Hayesville, NC
11 miles south
Its NOAA station logs about 300 more heating degree days than Andrews'; 470 people, about a quarter of Andrews' population
Attic insulation in HayesvilleLake Santeetlah, NC
12 miles north
Center about 200 feet higher than Andrews'; 44 people, under a tenth of Andrews' population
Attic insulation in Lake SanteetlahMurphy, NC
13 miles southwest
Power from its own town system (Andrews: Duke Energy Carolinas); Center about 180 feet lower than Andrews'
Attic insulation in MurphyFontana Dam, NC
16 miles north
Its NOAA station logs about 390 more heating degree days than Andrews'; 10 people, under a tenth of Andrews' population
Attic insulation in Fontana Dam
Andrews Insulation FAQs
Is my Andrews house part of a historic district?
No. The state's National Register list has no historic district in Andrews. It names only three buildings listed one at a time: Walker's Inn, a brick house of 1900 and the former First Baptist Church. Cherokee County has no local preservation commission on the state roster dated 2023. So no district review stands between you and attic insulation or air sealing.
Do the boxed soffits above my kitchen cabinets in Andrews leak into the attic?
They can. The Census tables on this page show that fewer than half of the town's homes were built before 1970. In houses of any age, a boxed soffit over the cabinets may be a hollow frame with no top. ENERGY STAR notes that insulation laid over one can hide that opening. The fix is to pull the insulation back and cap the soffit with a solid panel sealed at its edges. Once it is closed, the insulation is spread back across it.
Could the old insulation in an Andrews attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 20 percent of Andrews' homes predate 1960. If an Andrews attic holds a pebble-like gray-brown or silver-gold fill, leave it undisturbed: the EPA says vermiculite may contain asbestos.
Does attic insulation in Andrews need a permit?
Andrews Town Hall can say whether Cherokee County Building Code Enforcement, the town itself or another office handles permits in Andrews; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Mountain winters: attic ventilation and attic stairs and hatches
- Power from Duke Energy Carolinas: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Andrews, NOAA normals for the Andrews station, Duke Energy Carolinas (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Andrews introduction and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Andrews, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- First Baptist Church (Andrews), National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Franklin Pierce Cover House, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- Year Structure Built (table B25034), Andrews town, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter
- Sealing Air Leaks in the Attic, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Attic Air Sealing Project, ENERGY STAR
Andrews, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Andrews, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Andrews and the rest of Cherokee County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Andrews attic, or call (336) 870-3893.