Cove City, NC
12 miles southwest
Its NOAA station logs about 410 more heating degree days than Vanceboro's; 381 people, about half of Vanceboro's population
Attic insulation in Cove CityAttic Insulation in Vanceboro, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Vanceboro, NC, in Craven County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Vanceboro and Its Homes
Vanceboro, settled about 1750 as Durgantown on the east bank of Swift Creek, had steamboat landings for the run to New Bern and took Governor Zebulon Vance's name in 1877. No survey or nomination describes its houses, so each attic is read from the house itself.
Vanceboro, in Craven County, grew from 873 people in 2020 to 877 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 1.71 square miles. That makes Vanceboro the fifth-largest town in Craven County.
Vanceboro has about 510 housing units, 1 percent of Craven County's.
Vanceboro at a Glance
- County: Craven County
- Population: 877 (2025), 873 (2020), up 0.5%
- Land area: 1.71 square miles (513 people each)
- Housing units: about 510 (±109)
- Owner-occupied: 46% (±13); Craven County: 68%
- Detached houses: 55% (±14); Craven County: 68%
- Attached houses: under 9%
- Apartments: 28% (±13)
- Mobile homes: 14% (±7)
- Climate zone: 3 on both maps
- ENERGY STAR target for Vanceboro attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Vanceboro, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Attic Insulation in Vanceboro
About 30 percent of Vanceboro's homes predate 1970; if your joists show above the insulation, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
The Local Climate
Vanceboro's center sits about 20 feet above sea level, 18 miles from NOAA's New Bern Craven County Airport station, the best match for Vanceboro. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 2,700 heating and 1,900 cooling degree days a year, so Vanceboro attics work in both seasons.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
With about 510 housing units in Vanceboro, read the figures as rough proportions.
Built before 1940, about 15 percent of Vanceboro homes can hide knob-and-tube wiring and vermiculite, jobs for an electrician and an asbestos contractor first. Built from 1940 to 1969, about 20 percent of Vanceboro homes often have little insulation.
About 45 percent of Vanceboro's housing units predate 1980; nearly all predate the state's 1978 insulation rule too.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 13% (±8), about 65 units
- 1940s: under 3%
- 1950s: 13% (±7), about 70 units
- 1960s: 4% (±2), about 20 units
- 1970s: 13% (±9), about 70 units
- 1980s: 10% (±10), about 50 units
- 1990s: 8% (±6), about 40 units
- 2000s: 33% (±13), about 170 units
- 2010s: under 1%
- 2020 or later: under 8%, about 20 units
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Vanceboro
In New Bern, the nearest town to Vanceboro with solid figures, 68 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: 67% (±14), about 290 households; Craven County: 75%
- Piped gas: 8% (±5), about 35 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Duke Energy Progress serves most of Vanceboro, Tideland EMC its edges; your bill says which. For gas, Vanceboro is in the Craven County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Vanceboro.
Rebate to check in Vanceboro: Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy; Insulation Pros is an approved trade ally). Before a job in Vanceboro, check its current terms; the Craven County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Vanceboro
In a Vanceboro attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Vanceboro attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Vanceboro
Nearest to Vanceboro first.
Bridgeton, NC
15 miles southeast
345 people, about a third of Vanceboro's population
Attic insulation in BridgetonChocowinity, NC
15 miles north
Its NOAA station logs about 220 more heating degree days than Vanceboro's; 751 people to Vanceboro's 877
Attic insulation in ChocowinityNew Bern, NC
15 miles south
Power from its own town system (Vanceboro: Duke Energy Progress); 34,724 people, about 40 times Vanceboro's population
Insulation contractor serving New BernTrent Woods, NC
16 miles south
4,070 people, about 5 times Vanceboro's population
Attic insulation in Trent Woods
Vanceboro Insulation FAQs
Are there historic district rules for an older house in Vanceboro?
Not according to the state's records. The National Register rows for Craven County kept by the state preservation office do not include a single Vanceboro property. Its 2023 roster names one preservation commission in the county, and that one serves New Bern. So no commission reviews attic work in town. An old house still needs the usual looks at its wiring, chimney and roof before insulation is added.
Can insulation be packed right up against the old chimney in a Vanceboro house?
No, it has to stay back. The ENERGY STAR guide on flues says the usual rule is a 2-inch gap around masonry and 1 inch around a metal flue pipe. Over the opening between brick and ceiling framing goes a piece of aluminum flashing, bedded in caulk that tolerates heat, and a short metal dam keeps the loose fill clear. A settlement dating to about 1750 that took its present name in 1877 can have houses old enough for a chimney through the attic floor.
Could the old insulation in a Vanceboro attic be vermiculite?
It could: about 30 percent of Vanceboro's homes predate 1960. If a Vanceboro 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 Vanceboro need a permit?
Vanceboro Town Hall can say whether Craven County Inspections & Permitting, the town itself or another office handles permits in Vanceboro; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- Power from Duke Energy Progress: high summer electric bills and home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Vanceboro, NOAA normals for the New Bern Craven County Airport station, Duke Energy Progress (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Vanceboro introduction and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Vanceboro, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- About Our Town, Town of Vanceboro
- 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)
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
Vanceboro, NC
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Serving Vanceboro, NC
Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Vanceboro and the rest of Craven County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Vanceboro attic, or call (336) 870-3893.