Attic Insulation in Columbus County, NC

Columbus County and Its Homes

Columbus County held steady from 2020 to 2025 at 50,487 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 23,600 housing units.

Its ten incorporated towns each have a page here: Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw, Brunswick, Fair Bluff, Sandyfield, Bolton, Boardman and Cerro Gordo. About 30 percent of Columbus County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

A brick courthouse with a white columned portico in Whiteville, North Carolina — The Columbus County Courthouse in Whiteville, the county seat Photo: gerrydincher, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Columbus County at a Glance

Population: 50,487 (2025), 50,487 (2020)
Housing units: about 23,600
Median year built: 1982 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 47% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 62%
Mobile homes: 30%
Owner-occupied: 71%
Heated with electricity: 76% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 on both maps, warm-humid
Towns with pages here: 10

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

Towns and Communities in Columbus County

Whiteville
4,765 people · median home 1971 · Duke Energy Progress
Tabor City
3,886 people · Duke Energy Progress
Chadbourn
1,539 people · Duke Energy Progress
Lake Waccamaw
1,239 people · median home 1977 · Duke Energy Progress
Brunswick
921 people · Duke Energy Progress
Fair Bluff
737 people · median home 1977 · Duke Energy Progress
Sandyfield
450 people · Duke Energy Progress
Bolton
448 people · Duke Energy Progress
Boardman
163 people · power varies by address
Cerro Gordo
144 people · median home 1975 · Duke Energy Progress

Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Columbus County: Riegelwood (median year built 1958), Hallsboro, Evergreen and Delco.

What We Do in Columbus County

Attic Insulation in Columbus County
Some 47 percent of Columbus 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 Columbus County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Columbus County attics, and a mouse-soiled Columbus County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 19 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Columbus County
Some 76 percent of Columbus County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Columbus County

Half of Columbus County's 23,600 housing units were built before 1982: 30 percent before 1970, 47 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 9 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 1990s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves. Among Columbus County towns, the median home is oldest in Whiteville (1971) and newest in Lake Waccamaw (1977).

Columbus County by type: 62 percent detached houses, 7 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 30 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Columbus County, 76 percent of homes heat with electricity, 3 percent with piped gas and 19 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide).

Columbus County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 1,480 units, 6% (±1)
1940s: about 980 units, 4% (±1)
1950s: about 2,090 units, 9% (±1)
1960s: about 2,560 units, 11% (±1)
1970s: about 3,960 units, 17% (±2)
1980s: about 2,970 units, 13% (±2)
1990s: about 4,530 units, 19% (±2)
2000s: about 2,940 units, 12% (±2)
2010s: about 1,640 units, 7% (±1)
2020 or later: about 410 units, 2% (±1)

Climate Across Columbus County

The state energy code marks Columbus County warm and humid.

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Columbus County towns, by station: Whiteville 7 NW station (Whiteville, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw and Brunswick): about 2,910 heating and 1,760 cooling degree days; Lumber River State Park station (Tabor City, Fair Bluff, Boardman and Cerro Gordo): about 2,930 heating and 1,720 cooling degree days; Moores Creek National Battlefield station (Sandyfield): about 2,750 heating and 1,930 cooling degree days; Longwood station (Bolton): about 2,670 heating and 1,830 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Columbus County

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

Piedmont Natural Gas holds the Columbus County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 3 percent of Columbus County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Columbus County

Duke Energy Progress: Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw, Brunswick, Fair Bluff, Sandyfield, Bolton and Cerro Gordo; parts of Boardman
Brunswick Electric: parts of Boardman; homes near Tabor City, Brunswick and Cerro Gordo
Four County EMC: homes near Lake Waccamaw and Sandyfield
Lumbee River EMC: homes near Fair Bluff

Energy Programs for Columbus County Homes

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

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw and more).
Weatherization Rebate (Lumbee River EMC; near Fair Bluff): air sealing and insulation rebates.
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw and more).
Home Energy Assessments (Brunswick Electric; Boardman, near Tabor City, near Brunswick and near Cerro Gordo): home energy assessments for members.
Home Energy Audit (Four County EMC; near Lake Waccamaw and near Sandyfield): home energy audits for members.
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw and more).
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Columbus County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Columbus 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

Columbus County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Columbus County?

Yes: Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw, Brunswick, Fair Bluff, Sandyfield, Bolton and two more towns, and every unincorporated Columbus County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Columbus County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Lake Waccamaw and more); Lumbee River EMC's Weatherization Rebate (homes near Fair Bluff).

Does attic insulation in Columbus County need a permit?

Ask Columbus County Building Inspections before work starts. For an address in Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn or another Columbus County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Columbus County's office handles its permits.