Attic Insulation in Wake County, NC

Wake County and Its Homes

Wake County grew 11 percent from 2020 to 2025, to 1,257,235 people by the Census Bureau's estimate, in about 496,000 housing units.

Its twelve incorporated towns each have a page here: Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Morrisville, Knightdale, Wendell, Rolesville and Zebulon. About 85 percent of Wake County's housing units are inside town limits, the rest in unincorporated areas.

Office buildings and a street corner in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina — Downtown Raleigh, the Wake County seat Photo: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped and resized

Wake County at a Glance

Population: 1,257,235 (2025), 1,130,903 (2020)
Housing units: about 496,000
Median year built: 2000 (North Carolina: 1991)
Built before 1980: 18% (statewide: 34%)
Detached houses: 58%
Mobile homes: 3%
Owner-occupied: 64%
Heated with electricity: 55% (statewide: 65%)
Climate zone: 3 (2021 map), 4 (state code)
Towns with pages here: 12

Census Bureau estimates for Wake County (housing: 2020 to 2024).

Towns in Wake County

Raleigh
506,306 people · median home 1997 · Duke Energy
Cary
183,582 people · median home 1999 · Duke Energy
Apex
80,419 people · median home 2008 · its own electric system
Wake Forest
58,147 people · median home 2009 · power varies by address
Holly Springs
50,288 people · median home 2008 · Duke Energy
Fuquay-Varina
48,536 people · median home 2011 · Duke Energy
Garner
41,562 people · median home 2001 · Duke Energy
Morrisville
32,466 people · median home 2007 · Duke Energy
Knightdale
23,144 people · median home 2008 · Duke Energy
Wendell
19,687 people · median home 2010 · Duke Energy
Rolesville
12,839 people · median home 2013 · Duke Energy
Zebulon
11,933 people · Duke Energy
Angier
Harnett County town · about 1,400 residents in Wake County
Durham
Durham County town · about 300 residents in Wake County

What We Do in Wake County

Attic Insulation in Wake County
Some 18 percent of Wake County housing units predate 1980; joists showing above their insulation mean more blown-in fiberglass is due, R-49 from bare.
Attic Insulation Removal in Wake County
Wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation comes out of Wake County attics, and a mouse-soiled Wake County attic is sanitized and deodorized; in the 5 percent of homes built before 1960, vermiculite is ruled out first.
Air Sealing in Wake County
Some 55 percent of Wake County homes heat with electricity, often through attic ducts; their joints and the ceiling's gaps are sealed first.

Homes in Wake County

Half of Wake County's 496,000 housing units were built before 2000: 10 percent before 1970 (22 percent statewide), 18 percent before 1980 (nearly all before the state's 1978 insulation rule) and 26 percent in 2010 or later. The largest share went up in the 2000s, under codes that asked for less than ENERGY STAR now suggests; ENERGY STAR notes insulation is often thinnest at the eaves. Among Wake County towns, the median home is oldest in Raleigh (1997) and newest in Rolesville (2013).

Wake County by type: 58 percent detached houses, 28 percent in buildings of two or more homes and 3 percent mobile homes. In Wake County, 55 percent of homes heat with electricity, 42 percent with piped gas (24 percent statewide) and 3 percent with tank gas.

Wake County Homes by Year Built

Before 1940: about 9,080 units, 2% (±1)
1940s: about 4,390 units, 1% (±1)
1950s: about 12,680 units, 3% (±1)
1960s: about 22,120 units, 4% (±1)
1970s: about 40,270 units, 8% (±1)
1980s: about 68,450 units, 14% (±1)
1990s: about 89,300 units, 18% (±1)
2000s: about 118,640 units, 24% (±1)
2010s: about 107,360 units, 22% (±1)
2020 or later: about 23,750 units, 5% (±1)

Climate Across Wake County

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Wake County towns, by station: Apex station (Cary, Apex and Holly Springs): about 3,350 heating and 1,610 cooling degree days; Clayton Water Plant station (Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon): about 3,390 heating and 1,580 cooling degree days; Raleigh State University station (Raleigh and Rolesville): about 3,170 heating and 1,780 cooling degree days; Falls Lake station (Wake Forest): about 3,820 heating and 1,320 cooling degree days.

Power and Gas in Wake County

The card lists Wake County's town utilities by the territory maps; a power bill confirms the one at an address. The territory map does not split Duke Energy's two North Carolina companies in Wake County; their programs are the same, and the power bill names the one at an address.

Enbridge Gas North Carolina holds the Wake County gas franchise (NC Utilities Commission map), and 42 percent of Wake County homes heat with piped gas.

Who Supplies Power in Wake County

Duke Energy: Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Morrisville, Knightdale, Wendell, Rolesville and Zebulon; parts of Wake Forest; homes near Apex
Wake Electric: parts of Wake Forest; homes near Raleigh, Knightdale, Rolesville and Zebulon
Apex's own electric system: Apex
Wake Forest's own electric system: parts of Wake Forest

Energy Programs for Wake County Homes

Check each program's current terms for a Wake County home; some pay only through the utility's contractor network. Insulation Pros is an approved Duke Energy trade ally for Duke's rebate.

Programs for Wake County

Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Duke Energy rebate; Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and more).
Home Energy House Call (Duke Energy home assessment; Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and more).
ElectriCities energy audits (ElectriCities member towns; Apex and Wake Forest).
Income-qualified Weatherization (Duke Energy income-qualified; Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and more).
ThermWise Weatherization Assistance (Enbridge Gas; Wake County gas customers): no-cost weatherization for gas customers, income-qualified.
Energy Saver North Carolina (statewide income-qualified; any Wake County address).
Weatherization Assistance Program (statewide income-qualified; any Wake County address).

Get Your Free Estimate

or call (336) 870-3893

Wake County Insulation FAQs

Do you serve all of Wake County?

Yes: Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Morrisville and four more towns, the parts of Angier and Durham inside Wake County, and every unincorporated Wake County address.

Which utilities offer insulation rebates in Wake County?

Duke Energy's Smart $aver Insulate and Seal (Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and more).

Does attic insulation in Wake County need a permit?

Ask Wake County Permits and Inspections before work starts. For an address in Raleigh, Cary, Apex or another Wake County town, the town or city hall can tell you whether Wake County's office handles its permits.