Hobgood, NC
5 miles northeast
256 people, about 4 times Speed's population
Attic insulation in HobgoodAttic Insulation in Speed, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Speed, NC, 5 miles from Hobgood, plus removal and air sealing.
About Speed and Its Homes
Speed began as a stop on the Norfolk and Carolina Railroad's 1890 line into Tarboro, was named for a country doctor, Eugene Travis Speed, and was incorporated in 1901. Its plain, closely set houses went up mostly in the 1910s and 1920s, and most were bought out and torn down after the 1999 flood.
Speed, in Edgecombe County, grew from 65 people in 2020 to 66 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 0.3 square miles.
Speed at a Glance
- County: Edgecombe County
- Population: 66 (2025), 65 (2020), up 1.5%
- Land area: 0.3 square miles (220 people each)
- Housing units: about 45 (±29)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Speed attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Speed, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Attic Insulation in Speed
If the joists show above the insulation in a Speed attic, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Speed's center sits about 60 feet above sea level, 8 miles from NOAA's Tarboro 1 S station, the best match for Speed. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,320 heating and 1,690 cooling degree days a year, so at Speed's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
At about 45 housing units, give or take 29, Speed is too small for the survey to date its houses. For Speed, the nearest town with solid figures is Tarboro, 8 miles off: median year built 1974 and about 40 percent of homes built before 1970.
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Speed
In Tarboro, the nearest town to Speed with solid figures, 38 percent of homes heat with electricity.
Air sealing in a Speed attic covers wire and pipe holes, wall tops, the attic stair and bath fans.
Power, Gas and Rebates
Power in and around Speed comes from Dominion Energy North Carolina, Duke Energy Progress and Edgecombe-Martin County EMC; your bill says which. For gas, Speed is in the Edgecombe County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Speed.
Rebate to check if Dominion Energy North Carolina serves your Speed home: Home Energy Evaluation (Dominion Energy's contractor network). Before a job in Speed, check its current terms; the Edgecombe County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Speed
In a Speed attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Speed attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Speed
Nearest to Speed first.
Princeville, NC
7 miles southwest
1,286 people, about 19 times Speed's population
Attic insulation in PrincevilleTarboro, NC
8 miles southwest
10,979 people, about 166 times Speed's population
Attic insulation in Tarboro
Speed Insulation FAQs
Is there still a historic district in Speed?
No. A 2001 history prepared for FEMA counted about a dozen houses more than 50 years old that formed a historic district eligible for the National Register. Most homeowners joined the voluntary buyout after the 1999 flood, which in effect ended that district. Nothing in town is on the National Register, and the county's only local commission belongs to Tarboro. So no historic rule touches attic work here.
What should be looked at in one of the older Speed houses that survived?
The roof, the wiring and any chimney, in that order. The 2001 history describes the town's early houses as mostly one story, many with front gables or L-shaped plans, and the 1999 water rose halfway up many first stories. Those repairs belong to the walls and floors. Up top, ENERGY STAR treats damp insulation as a roof leak to fix first, and wiring from before 1930 gets an electrician's look. A brick chimney through the ceiling gets a metal collar, never insulation packed against it.
Does attic insulation in Speed need a permit?
Speed Town Hall can say whether Edgecombe County Planning & Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Speed; ask before work starts.
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Speed, NOAA normals for the Tarboro 1 S station (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Speed introduction and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Speed, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Edgecombe County Architectural Survey Update, Final Report, MdM Historical Consultants, 2023 (NC HPO)
- History of Speed, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, Marvin Brown for FEMA, 2001 (NC HPO environmental review file)
- NC Listings in 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)
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Serving Speed, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Speed and the rest of Edgecombe County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Speed attic, or call (336) 870-3893.