St. Helena, NC
2 miles south
434 people, about a ninth of Burgaw's population
Attic insulation in St. HelenaAttic Insulation in Burgaw, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Burgaw, NC, in Pender County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Burgaw and Its Homes
Burgaw was laid out in blocks by a Wilmington and Weldon Railroad engineer around a depot of about 1850 and became the Pender County seat in 1879. Most houses in its historic district date from the first third of the 1900s, and their attics are as varied as their roofs.
Burgaw, in Pender County, grew from 3,735 people in 2020 to 3,903 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 4.74 square miles. That makes Burgaw the second-largest town in Pender County.
Burgaw has about 1,310 housing units, 4 percent of Pender County's; about 67 percent of the town's households own their home.
Burgaw at a Glance
- County: Pender County
- Population: 3,903 (2025), 3,735 (2020), up 4.5%
- Land area: 4.74 square miles (823 people each)
- Housing units: about 1,310 (±137)
- Owner-occupied: 67% (±9); Pender County: 83%
- Detached houses: 73% (±10); Pender County: 71%
- Attached houses: under 8%
- Apartments: 17% (±9)
- Mobile homes: 7% (±7)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Burgaw attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Burgaw, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Burgaw Homes and Their Attics
Bungalows and Cape Cods Around the Courthouse Square
The Burgaw Historic District nomination of 1999 describes modest houses: late Queen Anne cottages, foursquares, many Craftsman bungalows and several Cape Cods. Its inventory lists story-and-a-half houses with gabled dormers, from a cottage of about 1890 to Cape Cods of 1947 and 1949. Upstairs in those, the rooms tuck under the roof slope behind low side walls. ENERGY STAR points out that the joist bays running under such a wall leak air even when the wall is insulated. We block those bays and seal the narrow side attics first, then insulate.
Garage Apartments Behind the Larger Houses
The same nomination notes that most outbuildings in the district are small frame garages and sheds, and that several of the larger homes have two-story garage and apartment buildings. A room over a garage loses heat downward as well as upward. Building America advises sealing the air leaks in a floor like that and pressing its insulation firmly against the boards above, leaving no gap. The apartment ceiling then gets the same treatment as the main house. Garage insulation is a service we offer.
Attic Insulation in Burgaw
About 30 percent of Burgaw's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
From 1990 to 2009, about 30 percent of Burgaw homes were built to codes below ENERGY STAR's target; check their eaves, where ENERGY STAR says insulation is often thinnest.
The Local Climate
Burgaw's center sits about 50 feet above sea level, 10 miles from NOAA's Willard 4 SW station, the best match for Burgaw. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,830 heating and 1,620 cooling degree days a year, so at Burgaw's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
The state energy code marks Pender County warm and humid.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
About 73 percent of Burgaw housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built from 1970 to 1989, about 20 percent of Burgaw homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
About 45 percent of Burgaw's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 15% (±9), about 200 units
- 1940s: 5% (±3), about 65 units
- 1950s: 5% (±4), about 70 units
- 1960s: 7% (±3), about 90 units
- 1970s: 11% (±6), about 140 units
- 1980s: 10% (±6), about 125 units
- 1990s: 10% (±5), about 130 units
- 2000s: 20% (±9), about 260 units
- 2010s: 15% (±8), about 195 units
- 2020 or later: 3% (±2), about 35 units
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Burgaw
In Burgaw, 90 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: 90% (±6), about 1,090 households; Pender County: 90%
- Piped gas: 3% (±2), about 30 households
- Oil or kerosene: 3% (±3), about 35 households
- Wood: under 5%, about 25 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Burgaw, Four County EMC its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Burgaw is in the Pender County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Burgaw. Duke's free House Call fits many Burgaw homes: 90 percent heat with electricity.
Rebate to check in Burgaw: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Burgaw, check its current terms; the Pender County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Burgaw
In a Burgaw attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Burgaw attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Burgaw
Nearest to Burgaw first.
Atkinson, NC
14 miles west
357 people, under a tenth of Burgaw's population
Attic insulation in AtkinsonTeachey, NC
16 miles north
500 people, about an eighth of Burgaw's population
Attic insulation in Teachey
Burgaw Insulation FAQs
Does the 1999 historic listing limit attic work on my Burgaw house?
No. Burgaw's downtown and nearby streets went on the National Register in 1999. The town's own page explains that a private owner spending private money takes on no duty or limit from that listing. Burgaw's advisory boards include no historic preservation commission, and the state list from 2023 shows none anywhere in Pender County. Insulation and air sealing happen indoors. If the job also calls for added roof or soffit vents, an exterior change, talk to the town planning office about them.
Might the original wiring of an older Burgaw house run through its attic?
It might, so an electrician takes a look first. The district nomination records that Burgaw took its first steps toward an electric plant in 1904, and most houses in the district went up in the decades that followed. According to ENERGY STAR, the knob-and-tube kind common before about 1930 is a fire risk when insulation touches it. Live knob-and-tube gets replaced or stays uncovered. We never blow insulation over it.
Could the old insulation in a Burgaw attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 25 percent of Burgaw's homes predate 1960. If a Burgaw 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 Burgaw need a permit?
Burgaw Town Hall can say whether Pender County Planning & Community Development, the town itself or another office handles permits in Burgaw; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Pender County is warm and humid by the state energy code: attic condensation and mold
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Burgaw, NOAA normals for the Willard 4 SW station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Burgaw notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Burgaw Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Burgaw History, Town of Burgaw
- Burgaw, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Sealing Air Leaks in the Attic, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Attic Air Sealing Project, ENERGY STAR
- Floor Above Garage, Building America Solution Center (PNNL, US Department of Energy)
- National Register Historic District, Town of Burgaw Planning
- Advisory Boards, Town of Burgaw
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
Burgaw, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Burgaw and the rest of Pender County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Burgaw attic, or call (336) 870-3893.