Attic Insulation in Orange County, NC

Orange County and Its Homes

Orange County grew 6 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 152,498 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 62,900 housing units.

Its three incorporated towns each have a page here: Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. About 60 percent of Orange County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

Lit storefronts on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill at night, with a white church steeple on the left — Franklin Street at Columbia Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at night; Chapel Hill is the largest town in Orange County. Photo: Wgreaves, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Orange County at a Glance

Population: 152,498 (2025), 143,748 (2020)
Housing units: about 62,900
Median year built: 1990 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 31% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 59%
Mobile homes: 5%
Owner-occupied: 64%
Heated with electricity: 60% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
Towns with pages here: 3

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

Towns and Communities in Orange County

Chapel Hill
63,565 people · median home 1988 · Duke Energy
Carrboro
20,962 people · median home 1988 · Duke Energy
Hillsborough
9,778 people · median home 2001 · Duke Energy
Mebane
Alamance County town · about 4,700 residents in Orange County
Durham
Durham County town · about 150 residents in Orange County

Unincorporated communities the Census Bureau maps in Orange County: Efland.

What We Do in Orange County

Attic Insulation in Orange County
Some 31 percent of Orange 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 Orange County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Orange County attics, and a mouse-soiled Orange County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 11 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Orange County
Some 60 percent of Orange County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Orange County

Half of Orange County's 62,900 housing units were built before 1990: 19 percent before 1970, 31 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 16 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 1980s; fiberglass from those years may have settled, so check its depth against the joists. Among Orange County towns, the median home is oldest in Carrboro (1988) and newest in Hillsborough (2001).

Orange County by type: 59 percent detached houses, 27 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 5 percent mobile homes (11 percent statewide). In Orange County, 60 percent of homes heat with electricity, 30 percent with piped gas and 7 percent with tank gas.

Orange County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 2,360 units, 4% (±1)
1940s: about 1,210 units, 2% (±1)
1950s: about 3,530 units, 6% (±1)
1960s: about 4,980 units, 8% (±1)
1970s: about 7,720 units, 12% (±1)
1980s: about 11,770 units, 19% (±1)
1990s: about 10,770 units, 17% (±1)
2000s: about 10,210 units, 16% (±1)
2010s: about 8,940 units, 14% (±1)
2020 or later: about 1,380 units, 2% (±1)

Climate Across Orange County

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Orange County towns, by station: Chapel Hill 2 W station (Chapel Hill and Carrboro): about 3,500 heating and 1,610 cooling degree days; Durham 11 W station (Hillsborough): about 3,500 heating and 1,380 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Orange County

The card lists Orange County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address. The territory map does not split Duke Energy's two North Carolina companies in Orange County; their programs are the same, and the power bill names the one at an address.

Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Orange County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 30 percent of Orange County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Orange County

Duke Energy: Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough
Piedmont Electric Cooperative: homes near Carrboro and Hillsborough

Energy Programs for Orange County Homes

Check each program's current terms for an Orange 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 Orange County

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough).
Attic Insulation and Duct Sealing Rebates (Piedmont Electric Cooperative; near Carrboro and near Hillsborough): member rebates for bringing attic insulation up to at least R-38 and for duct sealing, installed by a contractor.
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough).
Home Energy Advisor (Piedmont Electric Cooperative; near Carrboro and near Hillsborough): free home energy analysis.
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough).
ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Orange County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Orange County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Orange County address).

Get Your Free Estimate

or call (336) 870-3893

Orange County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Orange County?

Yes: Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough, the parts of Mebane and Durham inside Orange County, and every unincorporated Orange County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Orange County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough); Piedmont Electric Cooperative's Attic Insulation and Duct Sealing Rebates (homes near Carrboro and homes near Hillsborough).

Does attic insulation in Orange County need a permit?

Ask Orange County Planning & Inspections before work starts. For an address in Chapel Hill, Carrboro or Hillsborough, the town or city hall can tell you whether Orange County's office handles its permits.