Attic Insulation in Dare County, NC

Dare County and Its Homes

Dare County grew 3 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 38,245 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 35,300 housing units.

Its six incorporated towns each have a page here: Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck. About 65 percent of Dare County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

The low modernist Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor center in Kill Devil Hills, at the end of a curving walkway — The Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor center in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, shortly after it was built; Kill Devil Hills is the largest town in Dare County. Photo: National Park Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Dare County at a Glance

Population: 38,245 (2025), 37,036 (2020)
Housing units: about 35,300
Median year built: 1988 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 24% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 80%
Mobile homes: 4%
Owner-occupied: 78%
Heated with electricity: 93% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 on both maps
Towns with pages here: 6

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

Towns and Communities in Dare County

Kill Devil Hills
7,731 people · median home 1985 · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Kitty Hawk
3,670 people · median home 1987 · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Nags Head
3,117 people · median home 1987 · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Southern Shores
3,110 people · median home 1990 · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Manteo
1,585 people · median home 1992 · Dominion Energy North Carolina
Duck
736 people · median home 1988 · Dominion Energy North Carolina

Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Dare County: Wanchese (about 780 housing units, median year built 1987), Avon (median year built 1988), Buxton (median year built 1995), Frisco, Salvo, Rodanthe, Hatteras, Manns Harbor (median year built 1987) and Waves.

What We Do in Dare County

Attic Insulation in Dare County
Some 24 percent of Dare 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 Dare County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Dare County attics, and a mouse-soiled Dare County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 6 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Dare County
Some 93 percent of Dare County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Dare County

Half of Dare County's 35,300 housing units were built before 1988: 11 percent before 1970 (22 percent statewide), 24 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 7 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). The largest share went up in the 1980s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists. Among Dare County towns, the median home is oldest in Kill Devil Hills (1985) and newest in Manteo (1992).

Only about 16,800 of Dare County's 35,300 housing units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating shares below describe those households. Dare County by type: 80 percent detached houses, 15 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 4 percent mobile homes. In Dare County, 93 percent of households heat with electricity and 5 percent with tank gas.

Dare County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 830 units, 2% (±1)
1940s: about 280 units, 1% (±1)
1950s: about 1,010 units, 3% (±1)
1960s: about 1,640 units, 5% (±1)
1970s: about 4,620 units, 13% (±1)
1980s: about 11,790 units, 33% (±2)
1990s: about 5,780 units, 16% (±2)
2000s: about 6,850 units, 19% (±2)
2010s: about 2,040 units, 6% (±1)
2020 or later: about 440 units, 1% (±1)

Climate Across Dare County

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Dare County towns, by station: Manteo Airport station (Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores and 2 more): about 2,890 heating and 1,700 cooling degree days. NOAA's Elizabeth City Coast Guard Air Station, 32 miles from Kill Devil Hills, has about 3,050 heating and 1,760 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Dare County

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

Piedmont Natural Gas holds the Dare County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 1 percent of Dare County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Dare County

Dominion Energy North Carolina: Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck
Tideland EMC: homes near Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck

Energy Programs for Dare County Homes

Check each program's current terms for a Dare County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network.

Programs for Dare County

Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy rebate; Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores and more).
Income and Age Qualifying Home Improvements (Dominion Energy income-qualified; Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores and more).
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Dare County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Dare 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

Dare County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Dare County?

Yes: Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores, Manteo and Duck, and every unincorporated Dare County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Dare County?

Dominion Energy's Home Energy Evaluation (Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores and more).

Does attic insulation in Dare County need a permit?

Ask Dare County Building Permits & Inspections before work starts. For an address in Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head or another Dare County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Dare County's office handles its permits.