Raynham, NC
6 miles northeast
64 people, under a tenth of Rowland's population
Attic insulation in RaynhamAttic Insulation in Rowland, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Rowland, NC, in Robeson County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Rowland and Its Homes
Rowland, in southwestern Robeson County near the South Carolina line, started in 1888 with an auction of lots where a new railroad ended. The legislature chartered it in 1889, and the Main Street nomination of 2005 places mostly residential streets north and west of the brick storefronts.
Rowland, in Robeson County, grew from 886 people in 2020 to 906 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 1.05 square miles.
Rowland has about 550 housing units, 1 percent of Robeson County's.
Rowland at a Glance
- County: Robeson County
- Population: 906 (2025), 886 (2020), up 2.3%
- Land area: 1.05 square miles (863 people each)
- Housing units: about 550 (±129)
- Median year built: 1970 (±6); Robeson County: 1986
- Detached houses: 84% (±11); Robeson County: 51%
- Apartments: 10% (±4)
- Mobile homes: 6% (±2)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Rowland attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Rowland, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Rowland Homes and Their Attics
A Railroad Town That Kept Growing
When the first trains arrived in 1888, a land company cleared eighty acres and auctioned lots, and the legislature drew the town limits as one square mile around Main Street. The district nomination traces quick growth in the 1890s, moderate growth from 1920 into the Second World War, and more business after the war as highway travel picked up. About half of Rowland's homes predate 1970, the Census numbers on this page show. So houses of quite different ages stand side by side, and each attic is read on its own. Under a low postwar roof, the eaves may end up with little insulation while the middle looks full, and baffles keep the soffit vents open as that edge is filled.
Attic Insulation in Rowland
Some 49 percent of Rowland's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
Built from 1940 to 1969, before the state's 1978 insulation rule, about 40 percent of Rowland homes often have little insulation.
The Local Climate
Rowland's center sits about 150 feet above sea level, 10 miles from NOAA's Dillon, SC station, the best match for Rowland. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,750 heating and 1,950 cooling degree days a year, so Rowland attics work in both seasons.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
About 84 percent of Rowland housing units are detached single-family houses.
Built from 1970 to 1989, 29 percent of Rowland homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 7% (±4), about 40 units
- 1940s: 5% (±3), about 30 units
- 1950s: 19% (±10), about 105 units
- 1960s: 18% (±3), about 100 units
- 1970s: 18% (±4), about 100 units
- 1980s: 11% (±3), about 60 units
- 2000s: under 2%
- 2010s: 2% (±2), about 10 units
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Rowland
In Fairmont, the nearest town to Rowland with solid figures, 81 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing comes first, as the EPA advises: wire and pipe holes, wall tops and soffits.
How Homes Here Are Heated
- Electricity: 88% (±14), about 420 households; Robeson County: 81%
- Piped gas: under 4%
- Bottled or tank gas: 7% (±2), about 35 households
- Oil or kerosene: under 3%
- Wood: under 3%
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Rowland, Lumbee River EMC its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Rowland is in the Robeson County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Rowland.
Rebate to check in Rowland: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Rowland, check its current terms; the Robeson County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Rowland
In a Rowland attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Rowland attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Rowland
Nearest to Rowland first.
McDonald, NC
7 miles east
95 people, about a tenth of Rowland's population
Attic insulation in McDonaldFairmont, NC
11 miles east
Median home built 1970, as in Rowland; 2,231 people, about twice Rowland's population
Insulation contractor serving FairmontPembroke, NC
11 miles northeast
2,888 people, about 3 times Rowland's population
Attic insulation in PembrokeMaxton, NC
14 miles north
Median home built 1977 (Rowland: 1970); 2,149 people, about twice Rowland's population
Attic insulation in Maxton
Rowland Insulation FAQs
Does the Main Street historic district limit work on my Rowland house?
No. Listed in 2005, the Rowland Main Street Historic District covers the old trading blocks: brick storefronts, warehouses and the 1925 depot, not the homes beyond them. Going by the State Historic Preservation Office, a National Register listing leaves a private owner free to spend private money on the property as they see fit. And its 2023 county-by-county list of preservation commission staff skips Robeson entirely. An attic job happens indoors regardless.
My older Rowland house has a brick chimney in the attic. How close can insulation go?
Not touching it. ENERGY STAR gives the usual clearances as 2 inches around masonry chimneys and 1 inch around metal flues. The opening around the chimney is closed off with thin aluminum sheet bedded in high-temperature caulk, never foam, and a bent metal dam stops loose fill from sliding back against the brick. Rowland's oldest houses can reach back toward its 1889 charter, so check for this before any insulation goes in.
Could the old insulation in a Rowland attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 30 percent of Rowland's homes predate 1960. If a Rowland 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 Rowland need a permit?
Rowland Town Hall can say whether Robeson County Community Development, the town itself or another office handles permits in Rowland; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
- Hot summers at NOAA's Dillon, SC station: radiant barriers
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Rowland, NOAA normals for the Dillon, SC station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Rowland notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Rowland, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Rowland Main Street Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Year Structure Built (table B25034), ACS 2024 5-year, Rowland, Census Reporter (U.S. Census Bureau data)
- Post-World War II and Modernist Architecture in Raleigh, 1945-1965, Multiple Property Documentation Form (NC HPO)
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- About Attic Ventilation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- 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)
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Rowland, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Rowland, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Rowland and the rest of Robeson County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Rowland attic, or call (336) 870-3893.