Attic Insulation in Buncombe County, NC

Buncombe County and Its Homes

Buncombe County grew 3 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 277,417 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 134,500 housing units.

Its six incorporated towns each have a page here: Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Weaverville, Biltmore Forest and Montreat. About 45 percent of Buncombe County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

Aerial view of downtown Asheville buildings and trees with blue mountain ridges on the horizon — Aerial view of downtown Asheville, North Carolina, with the Blue Ridge Mountains behind; Asheville is the largest town in Buncombe County. Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Buncombe County at a Glance

Population: 277,417 (2025), 269,703 (2020)
Housing units: about 134,500
Median year built: 1991 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 37% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 64%
Mobile homes: 12%
Owner-occupied: 66%
Heated with electricity: 65% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 4 on both maps
Towns with pages here: 6

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

Towns and Communities in Buncombe County

Asheville
93,523 people · median home 1982 · Duke Energy
Black Mountain
8,491 people · median home 1986 · Duke Energy
Woodfin
8,229 people · median home 1999 · Duke Energy
Weaverville
4,790 people · power varies by address
Biltmore Forest
1,469 people · median home 1959 · Duke Energy
Montreat
1,024 people · Duke Energy

Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Buncombe County: Swannanoa (about 2,300 housing units, median year built 1985), Royal Pines (about 2,100 housing units, median year built 1982), Emma, Fairview, Avery Creek, Bent Creek and Barnardsville.

What We Do in Buncombe County

Attic Insulation in Buncombe County
Some 37 percent of Buncombe County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-60 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Buncombe County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Buncombe County attics, and a mouse-soiled Buncombe County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 21 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Buncombe County
Some 65 percent of Buncombe County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Buncombe County

Half of Buncombe County's 134,500 housing units were built before 1991: 28 percent before 1970, 37 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 19 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 Buncombe County towns, the median home is oldest in Biltmore Forest (1959) and newest in Woodfin (1999).

Buncombe County by type: 64 percent detached houses, 21 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 12 percent mobile homes. In Buncombe County, 65 percent of homes heat with electricity, 20 percent with piped gas, 5 percent with tank gas and 6 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide).

Buncombe County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 14,610 units, 11% (±1)
1940s: about 4,920 units, 4% (±1)
1950s: about 8,120 units, 6% (±1)
1960s: about 9,590 units, 7% (±1)
1970s: about 12,230 units, 9% (±1)
1980s: about 16,650 units, 12% (±1)
1990s: about 20,430 units, 15% (±1)
2000s: about 22,310 units, 17% (±1)
2010s: about 19,440 units, 14% (±1)
2020 or later: about 6,210 units, 5% (±1)

Climate Across Buncombe County

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Buncombe County towns, by station: Asheville station (Asheville, Woodfin, Weaverville and Biltmore Forest): about 3,880 heating and 1,090 cooling degree days; North Fork 2 station (Black Mountain and Montreat): about 4,000 heating and 800 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Buncombe County

The card lists Buncombe County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address. The territory map does not split Duke Energy's two North Carolina companies in Buncombe County; their programs are the same, and the power bill names the one at an address.

Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Buncombe County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 20 percent of Buncombe County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Buncombe County

Duke Energy: Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and Montreat; parts of Weaverville
French Broad EMC: parts of Weaverville; homes near Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and Montreat

Energy Programs for Buncombe County Homes

Check each program's current terms for a Buncombe 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 Buncombe County

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and more).
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and more).
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and more).
ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Buncombe County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Buncombe County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Buncombe County address).

Get Your Free Estimate

or call (336) 870-3893

Buncombe County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Buncombe County?

Yes: Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Weaverville, Biltmore Forest and Montreat, and every unincorporated Buncombe County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Buncombe County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin, Biltmore Forest and more).

Does attic insulation in Buncombe County need a permit?

Ask Buncombe County Permits & Inspections before work starts. For an address in Asheville, Black Mountain, Woodfin or another Buncombe County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Buncombe County's office handles its permits.