Harrellsville, NC
7 miles north
Its NOAA station logs about 850 more heating degree days than Colerain's; 80 people, about half of Colerain's population
Attic insulation in HarrellsvilleAttic Insulation in Colerain, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Colerain, NC, in Bertie County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Colerain and Its Homes
Colerain, a fishing and farming town about a mile from the Chowan River, was incorporated in 1794. Its historic district, listed in 2020, runs from a Greek Revival house of about 1850 to ranch houses built up to 1970, and every nineteenth-century house in it is wood frame.
Colerain, in Bertie County, fell from 212 people in 2020 to 198 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 0.26 square miles. That makes Colerain the fifth-largest town in Bertie County.
Colerain at a Glance
- County: Bertie County
- Population: 198 (2025), 212 (2020), down 6.6%
- Land area: 0.26 square miles (762 people each)
- Housing units: about 110 (±56)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Colerain attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Colerain, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Colerain Homes and Their Attics
Postwar Cottages and Ranches on Colerain's Side Streets
The district's largest group of houses, 81 primary buildings, dates from the 1940s to 1970. The nomination notes that the town's fishery was then one of the largest in the world. Minimal Traditional cottages gather on the western side streets, Academy, Britton and Glovers, and low ranch houses mark the end of that era. A ranch's shallow roof pitch leaves little space at the edges of the attic. That edge is where ENERGY STAR says insulation often runs thin. We bring it up to depth with baffles set first, so the soffit vents stay open to outside air.
Story-and-a-Half Houses From the 1920s On
The district inventory lists about twenty story-and-a-half houses, the earliest from the early 1920s and the latest from the 1960s. Their upper rooms sit under the roof slope, behind short knee walls. ENERGY STAR points out that even an insulated knee wall can leak if the floor cavities below it stay open. Air then travels between the side attic and the floors of the house. Those cavities are blocked and sealed first. Then the side attics and the attic above get their insulation.
Attic Insulation in Colerain
If the joists show above the insulation in a Colerain attic, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Colerain's center sits about 60 feet above sea level, 18 miles from NOAA's Edenton station, the best match for Colerain. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,870 heating and 1,840 cooling degree days a year, so at Colerain's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
At about 110 housing units, give or take 56, Colerain is too small for the survey to date its houses. For Colerain, the nearest town with solid figures is Edenton, 14 miles off: about 45 percent of homes built before 1970 and about 66 percent detached houses.
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Colerain
In Edenton, the nearest town to Colerain with solid figures, about 62 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing in a Colerain attic covers wire and pipe holes, wall tops, the attic stair and bath fans.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Bottled or tank gas: 38% (±10), about 35 households
- Wood: under 16%
Power, Gas and Rebates
Dominion Energy North Carolina supplies Colerain's electricity. For gas, Colerain is in the Bertie County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Colerain.
Rebate to check in Colerain: Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy's contractor network). Before a job in Colerain, check its current terms; the Bertie County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Colerain
In a Colerain attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Colerain attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Colerain
Nearest to Colerain first.
Powellsville, NC
9 miles west
Its NOAA station logs about 280 more heating degree days than Colerain's; 180 people to Colerain's 198
Attic insulation in PowellsvilleEdenton, NC
14 miles southeast
Power from its own town system (Colerain: Dominion Energy North Carolina); 4,546 people, about 23 times Colerain's population
Attic insulation in Edenton
Colerain Insulation FAQs
Most of Colerain is a historic district. Do I need approval to insulate?
Not from any historic body that we can find. The district was listed on the National Register in 2020, and its boundary follows the town limits closely. Listing alone places no limits on a private owner spending private money, the State Historic Preservation Office explains. The town has no local historic commission that the state knows of: the 2023 statewide list skips Bertie County. A local commission would only review outside changes anyway, and attic work is done indoors.
After a hurricane, how would I know my Colerain attic got wet?
Start in the rooms below: a new brown ring on a ceiling is the first clue. Then look at the attic insulation itself for damp or matted patches. Hurricane Isabel in 2003 destroyed the town's last fishery, the district nomination records. ENERGY STAR reads damp insulation as the mark of a roof leak. The roof gets fixed first. After that we vacuum out the wet insulation and blow in new.
Does attic insulation in Colerain need a permit?
Colerain Town Hall can say whether Bertie County Planning & Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Colerain; ask before work starts.
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Colerain, NOAA normals for the Edenton station, Dominion Energy North Carolina (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Colerain notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Colerain, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Comprehensive Architectural Survey of Bertie County, Final Report, 2010 (listed by the NC HPO as the Bertie County Survey)
- Colerain Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Post-World War II and Modern Architecture in Raleigh, North Carolina, 1945-1965, National Register multiple property documentation form (NC HPO)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- About Attic Ventilation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Sealing Air Leaks in the Attic, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- What Is 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)
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 160D-947, Certificate of appropriateness required
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
Colerain, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Colerain and the rest of Bertie County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Colerain attic, or call (336) 870-3893.