Holly Ridge, NC
4 miles north
Median home built 2015 (Surf City: 2002)
Attic insulation in Holly RidgeAttic Insulation in Surf City, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Surf City, NC, 4 miles from Holly Ridge, plus removal and air sealing.
About Surf City and Its Homes
Surf City, on Topsail Island in southeastern Pender County, was incorporated in 1949, a year after the Navy deeded away its island missile test base to be sold for homes and businesses. The town has since grown across Topsail Sound onto the mainland.
Surf City, in Pender County, grew from 3,898 people in 2020 to 5,142 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 7.68 square miles. No town in Pender County has more people than Surf City.
Surf City has about 4,600 housing units; 74 percent of the town's households own their home. Only about 1,780 of those 4,600 units were someone's usual home in the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey; the heating and owner figures on this page describe those 1,780.
Surf City at a Glance
- County: Pender County
- Population: 5,142 (2025), 3,898 (2020), up 31.9%
- Land area: 7.68 square miles (670 people each)
- Housing units: about 4,600 (±281)
- Median year built: 2002 (±2); Pender County: 1998
- Owner-occupied: 74% (±5); Pender County: 83%
- Detached houses: 70% (±5); Pender County: 71%
- Attached houses: 7% (±3)
- Apartments: 13% (±3)
- Mobile homes: 10% (±3)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Surf City attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Surf City, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Surf City Homes and Their Attics
What Fran and Florence Did on Topsail Island
According to the Wilmington forecast office, Fran's storm tide in 1996 swept over nearly all of Topsail Island, and the Surf City fire station was lost. In 2018, by the office's count, Florence damaged at least three of every four homes in Surf City, and many houses on the island lost roofing and siding. Once shingles peel back, wind-driven rain reaches the attic floor. Wet insulation, by ENERGY STAR's reading, means the roof is leaking, so the roof is made sound first. Only then do we vacuum the soggy layer out, reseal the ceiling openings and blow in a dry one.
Beach Houses Kept for the Season
The town's 2022 land use plan points out that many homes here are built for seasonal rather than year-round living. It groups Surf City with coastal towns that have a large share of vacation houses. A house shut up for weeks at a time still needs a dry, well-aired attic. ENERGY STAR lists bath, kitchen and dryer vents that empty into the attic among the faults to fix before insulating. Each one gets carried through the roof or wall to the outdoors. Insulation stops short of the soffit vents, and baffles hold a channel open so air can enter at the eaves and leave near the ridge.
Attic Insulation in Surf City
Some 7 percent of Surf City's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
From 1990 to 2009, about 45 percent of Surf City homes were built to codes below ENERGY STAR's target; check their eaves, where ENERGY STAR says insulation is often thinnest.
The Local Climate
Surf City's center sits near sea level, 2 miles from NOAA's Surf City station, the best match for Surf City. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,770 heating and 1,740 cooling degree days a year, so at Surf City's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Readings change over short distances around Surf City: NOAA's New River Marine Corps Air Facility station, 21 miles away, averages about 2,500 heating degree days. The state energy code marks Pender County warm and humid.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
Some 70 percent of Surf City housing units are detached single-family houses, 10 percent mobile homes.
In 2010 or later, 25 percent of Surf City homes went up; check their air sealing as well as the depth.
About 14 percent of Surf City's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: under 2%, about 30 units
- 1940s: under 1%, about 25 units
- 1950s: 2% (±2), about 115 units
- 1960s: 3% (±2), about 155 units
- 1970s: 7% (±2), about 320 units
- 1980s: 16% (±3), about 750 units
- 1990s: 13% (±3), about 620 units
- 2000s: 31% (±6), about 1,450 units
- 2010s: 20% (±4), about 910 units
- 2020 or later: 5% (±2), about 240 units
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Surf City
In Surf City, 96 percent of households 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: 96% (±1), about 1,720 households; Pender County: 90%
- Bottled or tank gas: 1% (±1), about 25 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Power in and around Surf City comes from Duke Energy Progress and Jones-Onslow EMC; your bill says which. For gas, Surf City is in the Pender County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Surf City. Duke's free House Call fits many Surf City homes: 96 percent of households heat with electricity.
Rebate to check if Duke Energy Progress serves your Surf City home: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Surf City, check its current terms; the Pender County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Surf City
In a Surf City attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Surf City attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Surf City
Nearest to Surf City first.
North Topsail Beach, NC
7 miles northeast
Median home built 1989 (Surf City: 2002); 1,097 people, about a fifth of Surf City's population
Attic insulation in North Topsail BeachTopsail Beach, NC
8 miles southwest
Median home built 1985 (Surf City: 2002); 503 people, about a tenth of Surf City's population
Attic insulation in Topsail BeachWrightsville Beach, NC
22 miles southwest
Median home built 1978 (Surf City: 2002); Its NOAA station logs about 440 fewer heating degree days than Surf City's
Attic insulation in Wrightsville BeachJacksonville, NC
22 miles north
Median home built 1992 (Surf City: 2002); 72,732 people, about 14 times Surf City's population
Insulation contractor serving Jacksonville
Surf City Insulation FAQs
Can I have the attic of my Surf City vacation rental insulated?
Yes. Attic insulation, insulation removal and air sealing are the owner's decision, whether the house is lived in all year or rented by the week. A rental attic gets the same look as any other. We gauge how deep the insulation lies and where air slips through around pipes, wires and fixtures. Recessed lights matter too. A can light not rated for contact gets 3 inches of open space around it, per ENERGY STAR, and we frame that space before blowing insulation.
Most houses in Surf City are fairly new. Can a newer attic still come up short?
Yes. Going by the housing figures shown on this page, the bulk of Surf City's homes went up in 1970 or later. State law has also tied occupancy of new houses to insulation standards from 1978 on. Even so, storm repairs, rewiring and new light fixtures can leave pushed-aside, crushed or thin patches over time. ENERGY STAR observes that the center of an attic is often well covered while the edges by the eaves go nearly bare. We measure at several points and fill the low spots evenly.
Does attic insulation in Surf City need a permit?
Surf City Town Hall can say whether Pender County Planning & Community Development, the town itself or another office handles permits in Surf City; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Pender County is warm and humid by the state energy code: attic condensation and mold
- Median home built 2002: a hot upstairs and bonus rooms over garages
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Surf City, NOAA normals for the Surf City station (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Surf City notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Surf City, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- U.S. Naval Ordnance Testing Facility, Topsail Island, National Register multiple property documentation form (NC HPO)
- Town of Surf City 2022 Land Use Plan (adopted February 2023), Town of Surf City
- Hurricane Fran, September 5-6, 1996, National Weather Service Wilmington, North Carolina
- Hurricane Florence, September 14, 2018, National Weather Service Wilmington, North Carolina
- Attic Insulation Project, ENERGY STAR
- About Attic Ventilation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- Year Structure Built (table B25034), Surf City town, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-139.2, Enforcement of insulation requirements; certificate for occupancy
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Surf City, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Surf City, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Surf City and the rest of Pender County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Surf City attic, or call (336) 870-3893.