Askewville, NC
8 miles north
Median home built 1974 (Windsor: 1971); 171 people, under a tenth of Windsor's population
Attic insulation in AskewvilleAttic Insulation in Windsor, NC
Blown-in attic insulation for Windsor, NC, in Bertie County, plus removal and air sealing.
About Windsor and Its Homes
Windsor, the Bertie County seat, sits at the head of navigation on the Cashie River and was laid out in 1768 on land once called Gray's Landing. Its historic district holds houses built from about 1790 to 1941, from Georgian survivors to Queen Anne, bungalow and period-cottage homes.
Windsor, in Bertie County, grew from 3,424 people in 2020 to 3,469 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimates), on 2.81 square miles. No town in Bertie County has more people than Windsor.
Windsor has about 940 housing units, 10 percent of Bertie County's; about 60 percent of the town's households own their home.
Windsor at a Glance
- County: Bertie County
- Population: 3,469 (2025), 3,424 (2020), up 1.3%
- Land area: 2.81 square miles (1,235 people each)
- Housing units: about 940 (±140)
- Median year built: 1971 (±6); Bertie County: 1981
- Owner-occupied: 60% (±10); Bertie County: 73%
- Detached houses: 76% (±4); Bertie County: 66%
- Attached houses: under 3%
- Apartments: 11% (±7)
- Mobile homes: 12% (±8)
- Climate zone: 4 (state code), 3 (2021 map)
- ENERGY STAR target for Windsor attics: R-49 from bare, R-38 over 3 to 4 inches (R-value guide)
Census Bureau estimates for Windsor, 2020 to 2024 (± margin of error).
Windsor Homes and Their Attics
Queen Anne Houses From the Lumber Years
The railroad reached Windsor in 1898, and logging lines and mills across the county made lumber its biggest business after farming. The 1991 National Register nomination for the Windsor Historic District ties a long run of building to that prosperity, lasting until the late 1920s. Among its Queen Anne houses on King and Granville Streets are two-story frame homes with irregular plans, three-story corner towers and many gables. A roof like that can hide several attic pockets at different heights, plus a separate space over any wing. Each one is measured, then brought up to one level, because the ENERGY STAR guide warns against leaving low spots.
Attic Insulation in Windsor
If the joists show above the insulation in a Windsor attic, ENERGY STAR says to add more insulation.
Built from 1940 to 1969, before the state's 1978 insulation rule, about 30 percent of Windsor homes often have little insulation.
The Local Climate
Windsor's center sits near sea level, 11 miles from NOAA's Williamston 1 E station, the best match for Windsor. The station's 1991 to 2020 normals average about 3,030 heating and 1,770 cooling degree days a year, so at Windsor's station, heating needs outweigh cooling.
Homes by Age: What It Means for the Attic
Some 76 percent of Windsor housing units are detached single-family houses, about 12 percent mobile homes.
Built from 1970 to 1989, about 25 percent of Windsor homes may hold settled fiberglass; check its depth against the joists.
Homes by Year Built
- Before 1940: 17% (±9), about 160 units
- 1940s: 13% (±7), about 120 units
- 1950s: 10% (±7), about 95 units
- 1960s: 8% (±5), about 75 units
- 1970s: 20% (±7), about 185 units
- 1980s: 8% (±6), about 70 units
- 1990s: 12% (±6), about 110 units
- 2000s: 9% (±6), about 80 units
- 2010s: 4% (±4), about 35 units
- 2020 or later: under 1%
Air Sealing and Duct Sealing in Windsor
In Windsor, about 59 percent of homes 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: 59% (±11), about 450 households; Bertie County: 59%
- Bottled or tank gas: 29% (±9), about 225 households
- Oil or kerosene: under 9%, about 30 households
- Wood: under 5%, about 15 households
Power, Gas and Rebates
Windsor, an ElectriCities public power town, runs its own electric system. For gas, Windsor is in the Bertie County franchise of Piedmont Natural Gas, whose mains may not reach every street in Windsor. Bottled or tank gas, bought by the delivery, heats about 29 percent of homes in Windsor.
Program to ask about in Windsor: ElectriCities energy audits (the town's electric system), home energy audits for member-town customers; ask the town's utility office. Before a job in Windsor, check its current terms; the Bertie County page lists every program.
Attic Insulation Removal in Windsor
In a Windsor attic, only wet, moldy or animal-soiled insulation is vacuumed out (ENERGY STAR's test), once the cause is fixed, and after mice that Windsor attic is sanitized and deodorized; dry, clean insulation stays.
Also Serving Near Windsor
Nearest to Windsor first.
Williamston, NC
12 miles southwest
Median home built 1962 (Windsor: 1971); Power from Dominion Energy North Carolina (Windsor: a town system)
Attic insulation in WilliamstonJamesville, NC
13 miles south
411 people, about an eighth of Windsor's population
Attic insulation in JamesvilleHamilton, NC
15 miles west
Power from its own town system (Windsor: a town system); 297 people, under a tenth of Windsor's population
Attic insulation in Hamilton
Windsor Insulation FAQs
How close can insulation come to the brick chimney in an old Windsor house?
Not right against it. When the town was created in 1768, lot buyers had two years to build a house at least 16 feet square with a brick chimney, the town's own history notes. Where a chimney or flue passes up through your ceiling, ENERGY STAR's method is to cover the opening around it with aluminum flashing set in high-temperature caulk, never foam. Then a metal dam holds insulation back. The usual code clearance is 1 inch from a metal flue and 2 inches from brick or stone.
Can a landlord have the attic of a Windsor rental house insulated?
Yes. It is the owner's decision. Rentals are an old part of the town. The 1991 nomination says the two blocks of North King Street above the business district, opened in the 1880s, held many small rental houses. In a house that age we look at the wiring and any chimney first, then measure what insulation is already up there before adding to it.
Does the Windsor Historic District put rules on my house?
Not by itself. The district was listed in 1991 and takes in most of the town laid out in 1768. The State Historic Preservation Office says a Register listing sets no limits on what you do to the house with your own money. Its 2023 roster of local preservation commissions lists none in Bertie County. If you plan an outside change, such as new roof vents, the town office can say whether any local rule applies.
Does attic insulation in Windsor need a permit?
Windsor Town Hall can say whether Bertie County Planning & Inspections, the town itself or another office handles permits in Windsor; ask before work starts.
Helpful Guides
- An energy audit program from the town's own utility: home energy audits
Sources
Census Bureau figures for Windsor, NOAA normals for the Williamston 1 E station, Windsor's municipal electric system (October 2026). Compiled by Insulation Pros. How the town pages are made.
Sources for the Windsor notes and questions (read October 20, 2026):
- Windsor, in The North Carolina Gazetteer (William S. Powell, 2nd ed., UNC Press 2010), NCpedia
- Windsor Historic District, National Register nomination (NC HPO)
- Comprehensive Architectural Survey of Bertie County, Final Report (Southeast Preservation, April 2010), NC HPO
- Adding Attic Insulation, ENERGY STAR do-it-yourself guide
- History of Windsor, Town of Windsor
- Furnace Flues Require Special Sealing Techniques, 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)
Windsor, NC
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Insulation Pros is an insulation contractor serving North Carolina, Windsor and the rest of Bertie County included.
Reach us
Send the square footage of your Windsor attic, or call (336) 870-3893.