Lasker, NC
5 miles north
Its NOAA station logs about 520 more heating degree days than Rich Square's; 58 people, under a tenth of Rich Square's population
Attic insulation in LaskerAttic Insulation in Rich Square, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Rich Square, NC, in Northampton County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Rich Square and Its Homes
Rich Square, settled by Virginia Quakers in the 1750s, is the oldest town in Northampton County and grew fast once the Roanoke and Tar River Railroad came through in 1887. The 2010 county survey ranks its houses as the finest group in the county.
Rich Square, in Northampton County, fell from 890 people in 2020 to 835 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 3.09 square miles. That makes Rich Square the third-largest town in Northampton County.
Rich Square has about 430 housing units, 4 percent of Northampton County's; about 75 percent of the town's households own their home.
Rich Square at a Glance
- County: Northampton County
- Population: 835 (2025), 890 (2020), down 6.2%
- Land area: 3.09 square miles (270 people each)
- Housing units: about 430 (±109)
- Owner-occupied: 75% (±10); Northampton County: 75%
- Detached houses: 85% (±9); Northampton County: 64%
- Apartments: under 18%
- Mobile homes: 7% (±6)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Rich Square attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Rich Square, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Rich Square Homes and Their Attics
Hip Roofs, Rear Ells and Center Chimneys
The county survey found Queen Anne houses, hip-roof cottages, Foursquares, Colonial Revival homes and Craftsman bungalows in Rich Square. The Queen Anne houses it singles out here are two stories tall and two rooms deep, under high hip roofs broken by cross gables, and most have a one-story ell behind. The Foursquare it describes has two interior brick chimneys rising near the middle of the house. Under a roof like that, the attic can be a set of linked pockets, each to be measured. Around each chimney stack we bridge the gap with thin aluminum sheet, run heat-rated caulk along its edges, and stand a metal collar to hold the insulation off the brick.
Wiring From the Years Power Arrived
Edgewood, a brick Foursquare finished in 1920 on the edge of town, was wired when it was built. Its 2001 nomination says it ran on its own generator until Rich Square got electric power later that decade. Houses wired in that period or before it may carry knob-and-tube circuits. ENERGY STAR warns that such wiring is a fire risk when insulation is heaped on it, so an electrician sorts it out before we cover anything.
Attic Insulation in Rich Square
About 50 percent of Rich Square's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
Built from 1940 to 1969, about 35 percent of Rich Square homes often have little insulation.
The Local Climate
Rich Square's center sits about 70 feet above sea level, 12 miles from NOAA's Lewiston station, the best match for Rich Square. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,140 heating and 1,750 cooling degree days a year, so at Rich Square's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Readings change over short distances around Rich Square: NOAA's Jackson station, 12 miles away, averages about 3,660 heating degree days.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
About 85 percent of Rich Square housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built from 1970 to 1989, about 35 percent of Rich Square homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
About 75 percent of Rich Square's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 16% (±10), about 70 units
- 1940s: 11% (±7), about 45 units
- 1950s: 22% (±9), about 95 units
- 1960s: under 2%
- 1970s: 25% (±11), about 105 units
- 1980s: 8% (±5), about 35 units
- 1990s: 4% (±2), about 15 units
- 2000s: 12% (±9), about 50 units
- 2010s: 1% (±1)
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Rich Square
In Rich Square, about 73 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: 73% (±9), about 285 households; Northampton County: 67%
- Piped gas: under 11%, about 20 households
- Bottled or tank gas: 17% (±11), about 65 households
- Oil or kerosene: 5% (±3), about 20 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Dominion Energy North Carolina serves most of Rich Square, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and Roanoke Electric Cooperative its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Rich Square is in the Northampton County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Rich Square. Dominion's rebate pays more for electrically heated homes, about 73 percent of Rich Square's. Bottled or tank gas, bought by the delivery, heats about 17 percent of homes in Rich Square.
Rebate to check in Rich Square: Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy's contractor network). Before a job in Rich Square, check its current terms; the Northampton County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Rich Square
In a Rich Square attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Rich Square attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Rich Square
Nearest to Rich Square first.
Woodland, NC
5 miles northeast
Its NOAA station logs about 570 more heating degree days than Rich Square's
Attic insulation in WoodlandRoxobel, NC
6 miles southeast
176 people, about a fifth of Rich Square's population
Attic insulation in RoxobelKelford, NC
7 miles southeast
204 people, about a quarter of Rich Square's population
Attic insulation in Kelford
Rich Square Insulation FAQs
Is my Rich Square house on the National Register, and would that limit attic work?
Probably not, and no. The state's list shows one listing inside Rich Square, Edgewood, and one other listed house sits outside the town limits. Even for a listed house, the federal register itself does not tie an owner's hands: the State Historic Preservation Office explains that privately funded repairs and changes face no restriction from it. The office's 2023 roll of town and county commissions skips Northampton entirely, which leaves no local design review over attic work in Rich Square.
Does the back kitchen wing of an old Rich Square house need insulating separately?
Yes, when it has an attic of its own. The county survey notes that most of the big Queen Anne houses here have a one-story ell at the rear, likely built for the kitchen. An ell like that sits under its own lower roof, which can hide a shallow attic with no link to the main one. We find a way into it, check its depth, and spread insulation evenly to the edges so no thin patch is left over the back rooms.
Could the old insulation in a Rich Square attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 50 percent of Rich Square's homes predate 1960. If a Rich Square 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 Rich Square need a permit?
Rich Square Town Hall can say whether Northampton County Building Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Rich Square; ask before work starts.
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Rich Square, NOAA normals for the Lewiston station, Dominion Energy North Carolina (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Rich Square notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Rich Square, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Northampton County Comprehensive Historic Architecture Survey, Phase II: Final Report (Cardinal Preservation Services, 2010), listed by the NC HPO as the Northampton County Survey
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Holoman-Outland House (Edgewood), National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- 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)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Rich Square, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Rich Square and the rest of Northampton County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Rich Square attic, or call (336) 870-3893.