The attic is where your indoor air starts. Rebuild it as one system.
Ducts cleaned or replaced, the old insulation and debris vacuumed out, the attic floor air-sealed, and new insulation on top — in that order, because each step only works on top of the one before it. 15% off the package on quotes signed by February 28, 2027. Add an HVAC system replacement to the project — when it is quoted, or while the work is under way — and the replacement is 5% off as well: a 5% line on its own written quote.
15% off the attic remodel package.
The figure is a line on each written quote for the work, and it applies to quotes signed by February 28, 2027. Winter is the season for this work: the attic is cool enough to work in properly, and it is the season the heat you pay for leaks up into it.
It is one package, priced for your attic after we have been in it. No part is sold that the attic does not need: ducts that are sound are cleaned, not replaced, and the quote says which.
Add an HVAC system replacement to the project — when it is quoted, or while the work is under way — and the replacement is 5% off as well: a 5% line on its own written quote. Only the attic quote has to be signed by February 28, 2027: a replacement you add while the work is under way still earns the 5%. The ducts it runs on are the ones this project cleans or replaces.
Four parts, in the order they have to happen.
The ducts: cleaned, or replaced
We look inside the duct runs first. A duct that is dusty but sound is cleaned. A duct that is crushed, disconnected, leaking at the joints or lined with old fiberglass that has let go is replaced, and every joint on the new run is sealed.
Leaky ducts in a hot attic move the air you paid to condition into the attic instead of the rooms. The research cards below carry the figures.
Old insulation and debris vacuumed out
The old insulation comes out with a vacuum truck, along with what has collected in it over the years: construction debris, rodent droppings, dust and the fibers that have broken down. The attic floor is clean before anything new goes in.
You cannot air-seal what you cannot see, and new insulation laid over old debris seals the debris in.
The attic floor air-sealed
With the floor bare, every gap between the attic and the rooms below is sealed: around can lights, plumbing and wiring penetrations, the tops of interior walls, the chase around the flue, the attic hatch. Foam and mastic, not insulation — insulation slows heat, it does not stop air.
This is the step that changes what is in your air: attic air carries attic dust, and the gaps are the path. It is also the step ENERGY STAR says to do before insulating, so the insulation on top does its full job — the research cards below carry it.
New insulation to the recommended depth
Blown-in insulation to the depth ENERGY STAR's table recommends for our climate zone, with the depth marked so you can see it, and baffles at the eaves so the attic still breathes.
Insulation is the last step on purpose — on top of a sealed floor it does what the label says.
Their words, not ours.
Each card below is a sentence quoted exactly from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy or ENERGY STAR, with a link to the page and the date we read it. Where the evidence is mixed, the card says so in the source's own words. One number to keep apart: the 15% is our offer on the price of the work; the savings figures below are the sources' estimates of what the work does to a utility bill, and for our climate zone they are smaller than the national average — the first two cards put the two side by side.
Energy: air sealing, insulation and the ducts
San Antonio is Climate Zone 2. The U.S. Department of Energy's county table, Guide to Determining Climate Zones by County (PNNL-33270, September 2022), prints the row "TX Bexar Hot-Humid 2 A": IECC Climate Zone 2A, Building America hot-humid.
The San Antonio figure, not the national one: ENERGY STAR's Table 1, "Estimated Savings from Home Sealing and Insulating", prints for Climate Zone 2 "Total House 6%" and "Heating and cooling only 9%" — modeled estimates for a typical 1970–1989 house with air leakage cut 25% and insulation brought to 2012 IECC levels. — ENERGY STAR, Methodology for Estimated Energy Savings.
The national average, which is higher than our zone's: "EPA estimates that homeowners can save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs (or an average of 11% on total energy costs) by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces, and accessible basement rim joists." — ENERGY STAR, Methodology for Estimated Energy Savings. A modeled average across every climate zone; the Zone 2 row is the card beside this one.
"Contractors should seal air leaks in the attic floor before adding insulation. It's much easier to seal first to ensure you get the full performance out of your insulation." — ENERGY STAR, Well-Insulated and Sealed Attic. That order — seal first, then insulate — is the package's order.
"The table below shows what levels of insulation are cost-effective for different climates and locations in the home." — ENERGY STAR, Insulation R-Values. For Zone 2 the table lists R49 for an uninsulated attic floor and R38 where 3–4 inches are already there; the package installs to the depth the table names.
"Air leaks can make your home feel drafty and uncomfortable and place an unnecessary strain on heating and cooling equipment, which decreases their efficiency and raises your energy bills." — U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver: Air Sealing.
"In a typical house, however, about 20 to 30 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts." — ENERGY STAR, Duct Sealing. That is air, lost through leaks; sealing and replacing ducts address it. Cleaning does not.
"Typical systems with ducts in attics or crawl spaces lose from 25% to 40% of the heating or cooling energy that passes through them. … In summer, ducts gain heat from warm surrounding spaces, detracting from the air conditioner’s ability to cool the house." — U.S. Department of Energy, Building America: Better Duct Systems for Home Heating and Cooling.
"Ducts that leak air into an attic or crawl space can add hundreds of dollars a year to your heating and cooling bills. Insulating and sealing ducts in unconditioned spaces is usually very cost effective." — U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver Guide (2022).
The air you breathe
The attic floor is the ceiling of every room below it. What the sources say is that the gaps in it move attic air, attic dust and moisture into the house, and that sealing them is the fix — for the air, and for the mold that moisture grows.
"Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations." — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Air Quality (Report on the Environment).
"Non-airtight recessed can fixtures can allow heated air to escape to attic during winter, carrying moisture that can condense in a cool attic. They can also draw hot attic air into the home in summer, pulling dust and insulation particles into the home." — U.S. Department of Energy, Air Sealing Guide for Contractors (Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, 2010), on recessed can lights — one of the gaps the package seals.
"If your home experiences any of these problems, it might be a good candidate for an attic air sealing project: Drafty rooms; Hot and cold rooms; uneven temperature between rooms; High heating or cooling bills; Ice dams in the winter; Dry indoor air in winter; Dust (especially in rooms directly below the attic)" — ENERGY STAR, Attic Air Sealing Project.
"Air sealing reduces the amount of air that leaks into and out of your home. Reducing air leakage is a cost-effective way to reduce heating and cooling costs, improve durability, increase comfort, and create a healthier indoor environment." — U.S. Department of Energy.
"Sealing holes in the attic ceiling reduces the house's "suction" (or stack effect) so fewer contaminants (such as radon and other soil gases) are drawn up into the house from the ground. … Effective air sealing between the attic and the home's conditioned space saves energy and reduces fuel bills" — U.S. Department of Energy, Building Science Education: Air Sealing Existing Attics.
"Home moisture issues often directly relate to uncontrolled air flow where warm, moist air comes into contact with cold surfaces, causing condensation. Seal all air-leakage spots between living spaces and other unconditioned parts of the house, such as attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation alone cannot prevent moisture problems." — U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver: Home Ventilation.
"The key to mold control is moisture control. … Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. … Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold." — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home (three sentences from the guide).
The equipment
No source we found puts a number of years on how much longer equipment lasts after attic work, so this page does not either. What the sources do say is where the strain comes from — a 140°F attic, ducts that leak into it, air leaks that make the system work harder — and that maintenance prolongs a unit's life.
"Low attic insulation levels and air leaks mean your air conditioning and heating systems have to work harder, resulting in energy waste, and lead to discomfort in your home during the summer and the winter." — ENERGY STAR, Well-Insulated and Sealed Attic.
"A typical vented attic with a dark shingle roof can reach summer temperatures of 140ºF." — U.S. Department of Energy, Building America Solution Center (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory): Sealed and Insulated Metal Ducts.
"When the HVAC system is located in a vented attic, it is exposed to extremes of hot and cold. The energy needed for air conditioning and heating typically goes up 10% when ducts are in the attic (Ueno 2003)." — U.S. Department of Energy, Building America (Unvented, Conditioned Attics).
What the sources say about equipment life is about maintenance, and we quote it as such: "Annual maintenance can help improve your comfort and the efficiency of your air conditioner while prolonging the life of your unit. Routinely replace or clean your air filters -- it can lower your air conditioner's energy consumption by 5-15 percent." — U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver: Home Cooling 101.
Duct cleaning — what EPA says, both halves
We clean ducts when they need it and replace them when cleaning will not fix them, and we tell you which before you sign. EPA's guidance on when cleaning is warranted, and on what it can and cannot be shown to do, is the honest frame for that decision:
"You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if: There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. Ducts are infested with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects). Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers." — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?
"Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space." — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?
"Make sure ducts are properly sealed and insulated in all non-air-conditioned spaces (e.g., attics and crawl spaces)." — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, from the same page's list of how to prevent duct contamination.
From the first visit to the last bag of insulation.
- A technician goes into the attic with a camera and comes down with photos: the ducts inside and out, the floor, the insulation depth, the gaps. You see what we saw.
- The quotes are written from those photos and list the four parts, which ducts are cleaned and which are replaced, the insulation depth, and the 15% line. A system replacement added to the project, when it is quoted or during the work, gets its own written quote, and the 5% is a line on that one. Nothing is approved until you approve it, in writing.
- Removal and air sealing happen on the first work day, with the floor photographed bare so the sealing is on record before it is covered.
- Ducts are cleaned or replaced and sealed, then the new insulation goes in to the marked depth. The final photos go in your file.
- Your equipment, the attic photos and the quote live in your free homeowner toolbox, not only in our files.
- The ductwork — Duct cleaning, replacement and sealing are air-conditioning work, done under Texas air-conditioning license TACLB52456E (TDLR shows it as TACLB00052456E). Verify a Texas HVAC license →
- The insulation and air sealing — Removing and installing insulation and sealing the attic floor are repairs to an existing home, done under City of San Antonio Home Improvement Contractor registration HIC-26-00132 with the City of San Antonio. City of San Antonio Contractor Connect →
- The written quotes — Every part of the work, which ducts are cleaned and which are replaced, the insulation depth and any offer, on the written quotes you approve before anything starts. How we work, and how to check it →
San Antonio's residential code (2024 IRC Section M1401.3, adopted unamended by City Code Sec. 10-36) requires heating and cooling equipment to be sized per ACCA Manual S from building loads calculated per ACCA Manual J or another approved method.