Raynham, NC
7 miles south
64 people, under a tenth of Pembroke's population
Attic insulation in RaynhamAttic Insulation in Pembroke, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Pembroke, NC, in Robeson County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Pembroke and Its Homes
Pembroke grew at a railroad crossing, was incorporated in 1895 and is the heart of Lumbee business and social life. Its university opened in 1887 as a normal school, yet almost nothing in print describes the town's houses, so the advice below turns on how yours was built.
Pembroke, in Robeson County, grew from 2,813 people in 2020 to 2,888 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 3.18 square miles. That makes Pembroke the third-largest town in Robeson County.
Pembroke has about 1,310 housing units, 3 percent of Robeson County's; about 31 percent of the town's households own their home.
Pembroke at a Glance
- County: Robeson County
- Population: 2,888 (2025), 2,813 (2020), up 2.7%
- Land area: 3.18 square miles (908 people each)
- Housing units: about 1,310 (±119)
- Owner-occupied: 31% (±7); Robeson County: 66%
- Detached houses: 46% (±7); Robeson County: 51%
- Attached houses: 2% (±2)
- Apartments: 47% (±7)
- Mobile homes: 4% (±3)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Pembroke attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Pembroke, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Attic Insulation in Pembroke
About 30 percent of Pembroke's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
Built from 1970 to 1989, about 30 percent of Pembroke homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
The Local Climate
Pembroke's center sits about 170 feet above sea level, 9 miles from NOAA's Lumberton Municipal Airport station, the best match for Pembroke. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,610 heating and 2,090 cooling degree days a year, so Pembroke attics work in both seasons.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
About 46 percent of Pembroke housing units are detached single-family houses.
From 1990 to 2009, about 25 percent of Pembroke homes were built to codes below ENERGY STAR's target; check their eaves, where ENERGY STAR says insulation is often thinnest.
About 50 percent of Pembroke's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too. About 47 percent of Pembroke units sit in buildings of two or more homes, where the attic is often shared. Renters hold 69 percent of Pembroke's occupied homes, so many attic decisions rest with landlords.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 5% (±3), about 65 units
- 1940s: 6% (±4), about 75 units
- 1950s: 8% (±4), about 110 units
- 1960s: 10% (±3), about 125 units
- 1970s: 19% (±5), about 255 units
- 1980s: 9% (±5), about 115 units
- 1990s: 12% (±4), about 155 units
- 2000s: 15% (±6), about 195 units
- 2010s: 13% (±4), about 175 units
- 2020 or later: 4% (±3), about 45 units
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Pembroke
In Pembroke, 86 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: 86% (±5), about 1,020 households; Robeson County: 81%
- Piped gas: 10% (±5), about 115 households
- Bottled or tank gas: 4% (±3), about 45 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Pembroke, Lumbee River EMC its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Pembroke is in the Robeson County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, and 10 percent of the town's homes heat with piped gas. Duke's free House Call fits many Pembroke homes: 86 percent heat with electricity.
Rebate to check in Pembroke: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Pembroke, check its current terms; the Robeson County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Pembroke
In a Pembroke attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Pembroke attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Pembroke
Nearest to Pembroke first.
McDonald, NC
9 miles south
95 people, under a tenth of Pembroke's population
Attic insulation in McDonaldRed Springs, NC
9 miles north
Power from its own town system (Pembroke: Duke Energy Progress)
Attic insulation in Red SpringsLumberton, NC
10 miles east
Its NOAA station logs about 210 more heating degree days than Pembroke's; 18,955 people, about 7 times Pembroke's population
Attic insulation in Lumberton
Pembroke Insulation FAQs
I own a rental near the university in Pembroke. Is attic work my decision or the tenant's?
Yours. Insulating, vacuuming out old insulation and air sealing are all the owner's call, and a landlord can book the work between leases or with a tenant at home. A student renter with a cold back bedroom can ask, but only the owner can approve it. Either way, we agree the work with whoever holds the deed. On install day the crew starts by measuring what is up there and checking the wiring and roof decking for leaks.
Are any houses in Pembroke on the National Register?
None that the state lists. Both of the town's National Register entries are public buildings. One is Old Main, finished in 1923 on the campus green. The other is the former high school, a brick building of 1939 paid for with Public Works Administration funds. No Robeson County body appears, either, on the preservation office's 2023 list of commissions. Nothing about historic status limits attic work on a Pembroke home.
Our newer house has recessed ceiling lights. Can the attic insulation cover them?
It depends on the label inside each can. The housing table shows Pembroke building mostly from 1970 on, and those younger ceilings may well hold recessed lights. A fixture marked IC, for insulation contact, can be buried. Any other kind needs a 3 inch clear gap around it, per ENERGY STAR. We check every can from the attic side before the hose goes near it.
Could the old insulation in a Pembroke attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 20 percent of Pembroke's homes predate 1960. If a Pembroke 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 Pembroke need a permit?
Pembroke Town Hall can say whether Robeson County Community Development, the town itself or another office handles permits in Pembroke; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
- Hot summers at NOAA's Lumberton Municipal Airport station: radiant barriers
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Pembroke, NOAA normals for the Lumberton Municipal Airport station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Pembroke introduction and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Pembroke, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- (former) Pembroke High School, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- NC Listings in the National Register of Historic Places, NC State Historic Preservation Office
- Old Main (Pembroke State University), National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Historic Preservation Commission Staff in North Carolina, listed by county, as of 2/20/2023 (NC HPO)
- Year Structure Built (table B25034), Pembroke town, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
Pembroke, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Pembroke, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Pembroke and the rest of Robeson County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Pembroke attic, or call (336) 870-3893.