Attic Insulation in Carteret County, NC

Carteret County and Its Homes

Carteret County grew 4 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 70,469 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 52,200 housing units.

Its eleven incorporated towns each have a page here: Morehead City, Beaufort, Newport, Emerald Isle, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Pine Knoll Shores, Atlantic Beach, Peletier, Bogue and Indian Beach. About 60 percent of Carteret County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

A white-columned courthouse entrance with flags on a lawn in Beaufort, North Carolina — The Carteret County Courthouse in Beaufort, the county seat Photo: Michelle Underhill, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Carteret County at a Glance

Population: 70,469 (2025), 67,692 (2020)
Housing units: about 52,200
Median year built: 1989 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 29% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 61%
Mobile homes: 16%
Owner-occupied: 75%
Heated with electricity: 87% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 on both maps, warm-humid
Towns with pages here: 11

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

Towns and Communities in Carteret County

Morehead City
10,434 people · median home 1984 · Duke Energy Progress
Beaufort
4,912 people · Duke Energy Progress
Newport
4,500 people · power varies by address
Emerald Isle
3,970 people · median home 1989 · power varies by address
Cape Carteret
2,273 people · power varies by address
Cedar Point
1,825 people · median home 2000 · power varies by address
Pine Knoll Shores
1,423 people · median home 1984 · power varies by address
Atlantic Beach
1,408 people · median home 1984 · Duke Energy Progress
Peletier
803 people · median home 1995 · power varies by address
Bogue
706 people · median home 1998 · power varies by address
Indian Beach
231 people · median home 1988 · power varies by address

Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Carteret County: Harkers Island (about 1,200 housing units, median year built 1980), Broad Creek (about 1,100 housing units, median year built 1994), Brandywine Bay (about 680 housing units, median year built 2000), Atlantic, Marshallberg, Gloucester and Davis.

What We Do in Carteret County

Attic Insulation in Carteret County
Some 29 percent of Carteret 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 Carteret County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Carteret County attics, and a mouse-soiled Carteret County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 11 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Carteret County
Some 87 percent of Carteret County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Carteret County

Half of Carteret County's 52,200 housing units were built before 1989: 16 percent before 1970, 29 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 13 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 1980s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists. Among Carteret County towns, the median home is oldest in Atlantic Beach (1984) and newest in Cedar Point (2000).

Only about 32,000 of Carteret County's 52,200 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Carteret County by type: 61 percent detached houses, 19 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 16 percent mobile homes. In Carteret County, 87 percent of households heat with electricity, 4 percent with piped gas and 8 percent with tank gas.

Carteret County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 2,210 units, 4% (±1)
1940s: about 1,120 units, 2% (±1)
1950s: about 2,460 units, 5% (±1)
1960s: about 2,760 units, 5% (±1)
1970s: about 6,760 units, 13% (±1)
1980s: about 11,600 units, 22% (±1)
1990s: about 9,480 units, 18% (±1)
2000s: about 9,090 units, 17% (±1)
2010s: about 5,670 units, 11% (±1)
2020 or later: about 1,030 units, 2% (±1)

Climate Across Carteret County

The state energy code marks Carteret County warm and humid.

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Carteret County towns, by station: Newport/Morehead City Weather Office station (Newport, Emerald Isle, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point and 3 more): about 2,780 heating and 1,710 cooling degree days; Morehead City 2 WNW station (Morehead City, Pine Knoll Shores and Atlantic Beach): about 2,480 heating and 1,850 cooling degree days; Beaufort Michael J. Smith Field station (Beaufort): about 2,380 heating and 1,980 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Carteret County

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

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

Who Supplies Power in Carteret County

Duke Energy Progress: Morehead City, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach; parts of Newport, Emerald Isle, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Pine Knoll Shores, Peletier, Bogue and Indian Beach
Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative: parts of Newport, Emerald Isle, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Pine Knoll Shores, Peletier, Bogue and Indian Beach; homes near Morehead City, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach

Energy Programs for Carteret County Homes

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

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Newport and more).
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Newport and more).
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Newport and more).
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Carteret County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Carteret 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

Carteret County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Carteret County?

Yes: Morehead City, Beaufort, Newport, Emerald Isle, Cape Carteret, Cedar Point, Pine Knoll Shores, Atlantic Beach and three more towns, and every unincorporated Carteret County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Carteret County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Morehead City, Beaufort, Atlantic Beach, Newport and more).

Does attic insulation in Carteret County need a permit?

Ask Carteret County Planning & Development before work starts. For an address in Morehead City, Beaufort, Newport or another Carteret County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Carteret County's office handles its permits.