Polk County and Its Homes
Polk County grew 6 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 20,533 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 11,000 housing units.
Its three incorporated towns each have a page here: Tryon, Columbus and Saluda. About 20 percent of Polk County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.
Polk County at a Glance
- Population: 20,533 (2025), 19,378 (2020)
- Housing units: about 11,000
- Median year built: 1984 (North Carolina: 1991)
- Built before 1980: 45% (statewide: 34%)
- Detached houses: 79%
- Mobile homes: 11%
- Owner-occupied: 77%
- Heated with electricity: 70% (statewide: 65%)
- Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
- Towns with pages here: 3
Census Bureau estimates for Polk County (housing: 2020 to 2024).
What We Do in Polk County
Attic Insulation in Polk County
Some 45 percent of Polk 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 Polk County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Polk County attics, and a mouse-soiled Polk County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 22 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Polk County
Some 70 percent of Polk County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.
Homes in Polk County
Half of Polk County's 11,000 housing units were built before 1984: 31 percent before 1970, 45 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 8 percent in 2010 or later (16 percent statewide). The largest share went up in the 1990s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves.
Polk County by type: 79 percent detached houses, 9 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 11 percent mobile homes. In Polk County, 70 percent of homes heat with electricity, 8 percent with piped gas (24 percent statewide), 12 percent with tank gas (6 percent statewide), 5 percent with oil or kerosene (2 percent statewide) and 4 percent with wood.
Polk County Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: about 1,160 units, 11% (±2)
- 1940s: about 400 units, 4% (±1)
- 1950s: about 820 units, 7% (±2)
- 1960s: about 1,000 units, 9% (±2)
- 1970s: about 1,530 units, 14% (±2)
- 1980s: about 1,640 units, 15% (±2)
- 1990s: about 1,910 units, 17% (±2)
- 2000s: about 1,700 units, 15% (±2)
- 2010s: about 650 units, 6% (±1)
- 2020 or later: about 230 units, 2% (±1)
Climate Across Polk County
NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Polk County towns, by station: Tryon station (Tryon and Columbus): about 3,330 heating and 1,380 cooling degree days; Hendersonville 1 NE station (Saluda): about 4,170 heating and 900 cooling degree days.
Power and Gas in Polk County
The card lists Polk County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address.
Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Polk County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 8 percent of Polk County homes heat with piped gas.
Who Supplies Power in Polk County
- Duke Energy Carolinas: Tryon, Columbus and Saluda
- Broad River Electric Cooperative: homes near Tryon, Columbus and Saluda
- Rutherford EMC: homes near Columbus and Saluda
Energy Programs for Polk County Homes
Check each program's current terms for a Polk 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 Polk County
- Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Tryon, Columbus and Saluda).
- Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Tryon, Columbus and Saluda).
- Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Tryon, Columbus and Saluda).
- ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Polk County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Polk County address).
- Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Polk County address).
Polk County Insulation FAQs
Do you serve all of Polk County?
Yes: Tryon, Columbus and Saluda, and every unincorporated Polk County address.
Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Polk County?
Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Tryon, Columbus and Saluda).
Does attic insulation in Polk County need a permit?
Ask Polk County Building & Fire Inspections before work starts. For an address in Tryon, Columbus or Saluda, the town or city hall can tell you whether Polk County's office handles its permits.
Counties Near Polk County
Rutherford County · Henderson County · McDowell County · Buncombe County · Cleveland County · All service areas
Polk County, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Insulation Pros in Polk County
An insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Polk County included.
Send the square footage of your Polk County attic, or call (336) 870-3893.