Atlantic Beach, NC
2 miles south
Median home built 1984, as in Morehead City; 1,408 people, about a seventh of Morehead City's population
Attic insulation in Atlantic BeachAttic Insulation in Morehead City, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Morehead City, NC, in Carteret County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Morehead City and Its Homes
Morehead City was laid out in 1857 where the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad ended, on a narrow point between Bogue Sound and Calico Creek. Its 2003 district nomination records frame houses from the late 1850s to the early 1950s, about a dozen of them on a plan found nowhere else in the state.
Morehead City, in Carteret County, grew from 9,589 people in 2020 to 10,434 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 7.41 square miles. No town in Carteret County has more people than Morehead City.
Morehead City has about 6,400 housing units, 12 percent of Carteret County's; 47 percent of the town's households own their home. About 5,200 of those 6,400 units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating and owner figures on this page describe those 5,200.
Morehead City at a Glance
- County: Carteret County
- Population: 10,434 (2025), 9,589 (2020), up 8.8%
- Land area: 7.41 square miles (1,408 people each)
- Housing units: about 6,400 (±318)
- Median year built: 1984 (±4); Carteret County: 1989
- Owner-occupied: 47% (±5); Carteret County: 75%
- Detached houses: 50% (±4); Carteret County: 61%
- Attached houses: 8% (±3)
- Apartments: 37% (±6)
- Mobile homes: 5% (±2)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Morehead City attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Morehead City, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Morehead City Homes and Their Attics
The Morehead Special and Its Two Roofs
The 2003 National Register nomination for the Morehead City Historic District describes a house type it found nowhere else in North Carolina. Built about 1915, it has a pyramidal roof and a porch that wraps around to a kitchen set off at one corner under its own hipped roof. A summer visitor named it the Morehead Special in the 1930s, and about a dozen were counted in town. That plan can mean two attics, a main one under the pyramid and a small one over the kitchen, each with its own depth. A hipped roof also drops low on every side. Insulation can be thinnest along the eaves, ENERGY STAR says, and baffles keep the soffit vents there open.
Bungalows and I-Houses of the Early 1900s
Most houses in the district date from about 1900 to 1930. The nomination names side-gable frame houses of one or two stories and two-story I-houses that often carry double porches. Bungalows were the fashion in the old core during the 1910s and 1920s, some with big dormers lighting bedrooms in the attic. Houses wired in those decades can still hide knob-and-tube circuits, and ENERGY STAR warns that insulation in contact with them is a fire risk. An electrician looks at that wiring before any insulation is blown, and a live circuit is never buried.
Attic Insulation in Morehead City
Some 32 percent of Morehead City's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
From 1990 to 2009, 28 percent of Morehead City homes were built to codes below ENERGY STAR's target; check their eaves, where ENERGY STAR says insulation is often thinnest.
The Local Climate
Morehead City's center sits about 20 feet above sea level, under a mile from NOAA's Morehead City 2 WNW station, the best match for Morehead City. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,480 heating and 1,850 cooling degree days a year, so Morehead City attics work in both seasons.
The state energy code marks Carteret County warm and humid.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
Some 50 percent of Morehead City housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built from 1970 to 1989, 25 percent of Morehead City homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
About 45 percent of Morehead City's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too. Some 37 percent of Morehead City units sit in buildings of two or more homes, where the attic is often shared. Renters hold 53 percent of Morehead City's occupied homes, so many attic decisions rest with landlords.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 8% (±3), about 510 units
- 1940s: 6% (±2), about 370 units
- 1950s: 9% (±2), about 570 units
- 1960s: 9% (±3), about 580 units
- 1970s: 13% (±4), about 870 units
- 1980s: 11% (±3), about 720 units
- 1990s: 11% (±3), about 690 units
- 2000s: 17% (±3), about 1,110 units
- 2010s: 14% (±3), about 930 units
- 2020 or later: 2% (±1), about 105 units
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Morehead City
In Morehead City, 90 percent of homes heat with electricity; where that heat is forced air, ducts often run through the attic.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Electricity: 90% (±2), about 4,700 households; Carteret County: 87%
- Piped gas: 4% (±2), about 215 households
- Bottled or tank gas: 4% (±3), about 210 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Morehead City, Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Morehead City is in the Carteret County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, and 4 percent of the town's homes heat with piped gas. Duke's free House Call fits many Morehead City homes: 90 percent heat with electricity.
Rebate to check in Morehead City: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Morehead City, check its current terms; the Carteret County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Morehead City
In a Morehead City attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Morehead City attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Morehead City
Nearest to Morehead City first.
Beaufort, NC
5 miles east
4,912 people, about half of Morehead City's population
Attic insulation in BeaufortPine Knoll Shores, NC
6 miles west
1,423 people, about a seventh of Morehead City's population
Attic insulation in Pine Knoll ShoresNewport, NC
8 miles west
Its NOAA station logs about 300 more heating degree days than Morehead City's; 4,500 people, about half of Morehead City's population
Attic insulation in NewportIndian Beach, NC
9 miles west
Median home built 1988 (Morehead City: 1984); 231 people, under a tenth of Morehead City's population
Attic insulation in Indian Beach
Morehead City Insulation FAQs
Does the Morehead City Historic District limit insulation work in my attic?
Not by itself. The district joined the National Register in 2003, and Register listing places no limits on Morehead City owners who repair or change their homes with their own money. That is the position of the State Historic Preservation Office, whose 2023 directory of preservation boards names only Beaufort's in Carteret County. Blowing insulation and sealing leaks also happen entirely indoors. Before changing the outside, such as cutting in roof vents, ask the city whether any local rule applies.
After a hurricane like Irene, how do I tell if rain reached my Morehead City attic?
Look at the insulation just under the roof boards, not only at the ceilings below. Irene came ashore near Cape Lookout in August 2011, and the Morehead City police department logged a gust of 78 mph. The National Weather Service reported trees down across eastern North Carolina. Damp or stained insulation means the roof leaked, and ENERGY STAR puts that repair ahead of any insulation work. Once the roof is sound, the spoiled material comes out by vacuum and fresh insulation is blown in.
Are there rebates for attic insulation in Morehead City?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal is the one to check: a rebate for attic insulation done together with air sealing, and a separate one for duct sealing, when the attic starts at R-19 or less; a contractor in Duke's Smart $aver network must do the work, and Insulation Pros is an approved Duke Energy trade ally. Check its current terms. The Carteret County page lists every other program.
Could the old insulation in a Morehead City attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 23 percent of Morehead City's homes predate 1960. If a Morehead City attic holds a pebble-like gray-brown or silver-gold fill, leave it undisturbed: the EPA says vermiculite may contain asbestos.
Does attic insulation in Morehead City need a permit?
Morehead City Town Hall can say whether Carteret County Planning & Development, the town itself or another office handles permits in Morehead City; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Carteret County is warm and humid by the state energy code: attic condensation and mold
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Morehead City, NOAA normals for the Morehead City 2 WNW station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Morehead City notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- History, City of Morehead City
- Carteret County architectural survey report, 2012 (listed by the NC HPO as the Carteret County Survey)
- Morehead City Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- About Attic Ventilation, 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 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)
- Hurricane Irene, August 27, 2011, event review, National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City
Morehead City, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Morehead City and the rest of Carteret County included.
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Send the square footage of your Morehead City attic, or call (336) 870-3893.