Colerain, NC
7 miles south
Its NOAA station logs about 850 fewer heating degree days than Harrellsville's; 198 people, about twice Harrellsville's population
Attic insulation in ColerainAttic Insulation in Harrellsville, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Harrellsville, NC, 7 miles from Colerain, plus removal and air sealing.
About Harrellsville and Its Homes
Harrellsville stands on a slight rise near the Wiccacon and Chowan rivers in southeastern Hertford County. It began as a post office called Bethel in 1827, took Abner Harrell's name in 1847 and was incorporated in 1883, and its historic district is made up mostly of frame buildings.
Harrellsville, in Hertford County, fell from 84 people in 2020 to 80 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 0.29 square miles. That makes Harrellsville the fifth-largest town in Hertford County.
Harrellsville at a Glance
- County: Hertford County
- Population: 80 (2025), 84 (2020), down 4.8%
- Land area: 0.29 square miles (276 people each)
- Housing units: about 80 (±34)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Harrellsville attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Harrellsville, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Harrellsville Homes and Their Attics
Frame Houses Rebuilt After Three Fires
Fires in 1864, 1888 and 1913 destroyed most of the village's early stores and houses, and newer buildings took their place. The 1995 nomination for the Harrellsville Historic District dates most of its surviving significant buildings to 1870 to 1940. Nearly all are frame: I-houses from the late 1800s, Queen Anne houses and Craftsman bungalows, with a few brick buildings. Several of its inventory entries record a one-story kitchen ell at the back. An ell under its own roof can hide a separate, lower attic, so it is measured apart from the main house. Any wiring run on porcelain knobs before about 1930 gets an electrician's look first, since insulation lying on it can start a fire.
Attic Insulation in Harrellsville
If the joists show above the insulation in a Harrellsville attic, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Harrellsville's center sits about 60 feet above sea level, 19 miles from NOAA's Murfreesboro station, the best match for Harrellsville. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,720 heating and 1,390 cooling degree days a year, so at Harrellsville's station, heating needs outweigh cooling. Readings change over short distances around Harrellsville: NOAA's Edenton station, 24 miles away, averages about 2,870 heating degree days.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
At about 80 housing units, give or take 34, Harrellsville is too small for the survey to date its houses. For Harrellsville, the nearest town with solid figures is Ahoskie, 11 miles off: median year built 1970 and 51 percent of homes built before 1970.
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Harrellsville
In Ahoskie, the nearest town to Harrellsville with solid figures, 65 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing in a Harrellsville attic covers wire and pipe holes, wall tops, the attic stair and bath fans.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Bottled or tank gas: 16% (±10), about 10 households
- Oil or kerosene: under 6%
- Wood: under 21%
Power, Gas and Rebates
Dominion Energy North Carolina supplies Harrellsville's electricity. For gas, Harrellsville is in the Hertford County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Harrellsville.
Rebate to check in Harrellsville: Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy's contractor network). Before a job in Harrellsville, check its current terms; the Hertford County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Harrellsville
In a Harrellsville attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Harrellsville attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Harrellsville
Nearest to Harrellsville first.
Gatesville, NC
8 miles north
260 people, about 3 times Harrellsville's population
Attic insulation in GatesvilleCofield, NC
8 miles northwest
258 people, about 3 times Harrellsville's population
Attic insulation in CofieldPowellsville, NC
9 miles southwest
Its NOAA station logs about 570 fewer heating degree days than Harrellsville's; 180 people, about twice Harrellsville's population
Attic insulation in PowellsvilleWinton, NC
10 miles northwest
592 people, about 7 times Harrellsville's population
Attic insulation in Winton
Harrellsville Insulation FAQs
Since the village is on the National Register, do I need approval for attic work?
No. The Harrellsville district joined the National Register in 1995. The state preservation office's guidance is that Register status does not bind an owner who repairs or changes a building with private funds. Hertford County has just one commission on the state's 2023 preservation roster, for Murfreesboro, so nothing local reviews work here either. Insulating and sealing an attic happen indoors anyway.
How is the attic handled around the chimney in an old Harrellsville house?
It depends on where the chimney stands. The district's nomination records both kinds. Some brick chimneys rise against the outside of the end walls and never pass through the attic floor. Others are interior, as in a 1930 bungalow and a two-story Colonial Revival house. Where one comes up through the ceiling, ENERGY STAR has the opening closed with light aluminum flashing and heat-rated caulk. A ring of sheet metal around the chimney keeps the insulation off the brick.
Does attic insulation in Harrellsville need a permit?
Harrellsville Town Hall can say whether Hertford County Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Harrellsville; ask before work starts.
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Harrellsville, NOAA normals for the Murfreesboro station, Dominion Energy North Carolina (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Harrellsville notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Harrellsville, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Hertford County Architectural Survey report, 2011 (NC State Historic Preservation Office)
- Harrellsville Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- What the National Register Means for the Private Property Owner, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Harrellsville, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Harrellsville and the rest of Hertford County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Harrellsville attic, or call (336) 870-3893.