Attic Insulation in Brunswick County, NC

Brunswick County and Its Homes

Brunswick County grew 26 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 174,702 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 99,100 housing units.

Its nineteen incorporated towns each have a page here: Leland, Oak Island, St. James, Boiling Spring Lakes, Carolina Shores, Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Southport, Belville, Calabash, Navassa, Northwest, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Varnamtown, Caswell Beach, Sandy Creek, Bald Head Island and Bolivia. About 60 percent of Brunswick County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

A long tan courthouse with a columned center behind a parking lot — The Brunswick County Courthouse near Bolivia, the county seat Photo: DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Brunswick County at a Glance

Population: 174,702 (2025), 138,135 (2020)
Housing units: about 99,100
Median year built: 2002 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 14% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 69%
Mobile homes: 17%
Owner-occupied: 85%
Heated with electricity: 87% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 on both maps, warm-humid
Towns with pages here: 19

Census Bureau estimates for Brunswick County (housing: 2020 to 2024).

Towns in Brunswick County

Leland
35,731 people · median home 2010 · Duke Energy Progress
Oak Island
9,337 people · median home 1997 · Duke Energy Progress
St. James
7,318 people · median home 2011 · power varies by address
Boiling Spring Lakes
6,875 people · median home 1998 · Duke Energy Progress
Carolina Shores
5,540 people · median home 2004 · power varies by address
Shallotte
5,335 people · median home 2004 · power varies by address
Sunset Beach
4,642 people · median home 2000 · power varies by address
Southport
4,434 people · median home 2003 · its own electric system
Belville
3,199 people · median home 2005 · power varies by address
Calabash
3,069 people · median home 1995 · power varies by address
Navassa
1,889 people · Duke Energy Progress
Northwest
1,096 people · median home 1997 · Duke Energy Progress
Ocean Isle Beach
940 people · median home 1996 · Duke Energy Progress
Holden Beach
916 people · median home 1992 · Duke Energy Progress
Varnamtown
525 people · median home 1990 · power varies by address
Caswell Beach
381 people · median home 1998 · Duke Energy Progress
Sandy Creek
280 people · Duke Energy Progress
Bald Head Island
279 people · median home 2002 · Duke Energy Progress
Bolivia
271 people · power varies by address

What We Do in Brunswick County

Attic Insulation in Brunswick County
Some 14 percent of Brunswick County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-49 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Brunswick County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Brunswick County attics, and a mouse-soiled Brunswick County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 3 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Brunswick County
Some 87 percent of Brunswick County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Brunswick County

Half of Brunswick County's 99,100 housing units were built before 2002: 6 percent before 1970 (22 percent statewide), 14 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 28 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 2000s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves. Among Brunswick County towns, the median home is oldest in Varnamtown (1990) and newest in St. James (2011).

Only about 69,100 of Brunswick County's 99,100 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Brunswick County by type: 69 percent detached houses, 9 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 17 percent mobile homes. In Brunswick County, 87 percent of households heat with electricity, 4 percent with piped gas and 7 percent with tank gas.

Brunswick County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 1,040 units, 1% (±1)
1940s: about 470 units, 0% (±1)
1950s: about 1,800 units, 2% (±1)
1960s: about 2,780 units, 3% (±1)
1970s: about 7,410 units, 7% (±1)
1980s: about 13,610 units, 14% (±1)
1990s: about 16,050 units, 16% (±1)
2000s: about 27,840 units, 28% (±1)
2010s: about 22,310 units, 23% (±1)
2020 or later: about 5,770 units, 6% (±1)

Climate Across Brunswick County

The state energy code marks Brunswick County warm and humid.

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Brunswick County towns, by station: Southport 5 N station (Oak Island, St. James, Boiling Spring Lakes, Southport and 3 more): about 2,200 heating and 2,230 cooling degree days; Wilmington International Airport station (Leland, Belville, Navassa, Northwest and 1 more): about 2,330 heating and 2,130 cooling degree days; Shallotte Ag station (Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach and 1 more): about 2,430 heating and 1,860 cooling degree days; Longwood station (Carolina Shores and Calabash): about 2,670 heating and 1,830 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Brunswick County

The card lists Brunswick County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.

Piedmont Natural Gas holds the Brunswick County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 4 percent of Brunswick County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Brunswick County

Duke Energy Progress: Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Navassa, Northwest, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Caswell Beach, Sandy Creek and Bald Head Island; parts of St. James, Carolina Shores, Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Belville, Calabash, Varnamtown and Bolivia; homes near Southport
Brunswick Electric: parts of St. James, Carolina Shores, Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Belville, Calabash, Varnamtown and Bolivia; homes near Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach
Southport's own electric system: Southport
Four County EMC: homes near Northwest

Energy Programs for Brunswick County Homes

Check each program's current terms for a Brunswick County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network. Insulation Pros is an approved Duke Energy trade ally for Duke's rebate.

Programs for Brunswick County

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Navassa and more).
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Navassa and more).
Home Energy Assessments (Brunswick Electric; St. James, Carolina Shores, Shallotte, Sunset Beach and more): home energy assessments for members.
ElectriCities energy audits (ElectriCities member towns; Southport).
Home Energy Audit (Four County EMC; near Northwest): home energy audits for members.
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Navassa and more).
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Brunswick County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Brunswick County address).
Piedmont Natural Gas lists rebates for high-efficiency gas furnaces, and none for insulation or air sealing (program page).

Get Your Free Estimate

or call (336) 870-3893

Brunswick County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Brunswick County?

Yes: Leland, Oak Island, St. James, Boiling Spring Lakes, Carolina Shores, Shallotte, Sunset Beach, Southport and eleven more towns, and every unincorporated Brunswick County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Brunswick County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Leland, Oak Island, Boiling Spring Lakes, Navassa and more).

Does attic insulation in Brunswick County need a permit?

Ask Brunswick County Permits & Development before work starts. For an address in Leland, Oak Island, St. James or another Brunswick County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Brunswick County's office handles its permits.