Serving Chico, CA and surrounding areas. (530) 924-5802
Insulation slows heat. Air sealing stops it from moving at all. If your home has never been air sealed, your cooling system is working harder than it should every single summer.
Attic air sealing in Chico plugs the gaps around light fixtures, pipes, and wall tops where conditioned air escapes and hot attic air infiltrates, most jobs are completed in a single day using foam and caulk applied from inside the attic.
Many homeowners assume that adding more insulation will fix a hot, uncomfortable home, but insulation alone does not stop air from moving through gaps. Attic air sealing closes the actual pathways air travels, and insulation then does its job on top of that sealed surface. Doing both together is far more effective than either one alone.
If you are also planning to add insulation, pairing this work with air sealing services throughout the whole home can address every major leak point in one project. Homes with crawl spaces often benefit from combining attic sealing with crawl space vapor barrier installation to control moisture from below as well as heat from above.
If rooms directly below the attic are noticeably hotter than the rest of the house during Chico's long heat waves, hot attic air is finding its way in through ceiling gaps. Chico's triple-digit summer temperatures make this problem more obvious than in milder climates. If your air conditioner runs constantly but those rooms never cool down, air leakage is likely a major reason.
Chico's cooling season runs from roughly May through October. If your electric bill climbs sharply during those months even though your habits have not changed, air leaking from a hot attic is forcing your air conditioner to run longer and harder than it should. You pay for every extra minute it runs.
If you see dust rings forming around ceiling fixtures or smell something musty when the HVAC kicks on, air is moving through gaps in your ceiling. That air carries whatever is in your attic, including dust, old insulation particles, and sometimes mold spores, directly into your living space.
During the smoke events that have become common in the Chico area, a well-sealed home keeps most outdoor air out. If you notice a smoky smell indoors with all windows and doors closed, air is infiltrating through gaps in the building envelope, and the attic floor is one of the most common entry points.
We start with a blower door test, a large fan temporarily installed in your front door that depressurizes the home and measures exactly how much air is escaping. That number tells us how leaky the home is before any work begins, and we run it again after sealing so you can see the improvement in plain terms.
The actual sealing work happens entirely in the attic. We apply spray foam and fire-rated caulk to every gap: around recessed lights, plumbing and electrical penetrations, interior wall top plates, and attic hatch frames. Many homes also benefit from combining this work with whole-home air sealing services that address leaks at the crawl space and rim joist as well.
For homes where heat transfer through the ceiling is a bigger problem than air movement alone, we often recommend pairing attic air sealing with crawl space vapor barrier installation to address moisture from below while sealing heat from above. We will walk through all options during the estimate and give you a clear recommendation based on your home's specific conditions.
Best for homeowners who want a measured baseline before and after sealing, not just a contractor's opinion.
For homes with older recessed lights, open wall top plates, or plumbing penetrations that allow attic air to infiltrate living spaces.
Suits homes where the attic access point is a significant source of heat loss and conditioned air escape.
For homeowners doing a full attic upgrade who want air sealing and insulation completed in a single visit for maximum impact.
Chico sits in the northern Sacramento Valley, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees and heat waves lasting a week or more are common. When your attic reaches 140 to 150 degrees on a hot July afternoon, every gap in your ceiling becomes a direct pipeline for that heat into your living space. Air sealing is one of the most cost-effective ways to break that cycle, and in Chico's climate the payback period is shorter than in milder parts of California because your cooling system works so hard for so many months.
A significant share of Chico's residential neighborhoods, including areas around the university and the older downtown grid, were built before modern energy codes required tight construction. Many homes have had decades of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC upgrades that punched new holes through the ceiling without sealing them. Homeowners in Oroville and Redding face identical issues from the same era of construction. We also serve homeowners in Yuba City and surrounding communities throughout the valley.
Wildfire smoke is another local factor that makes a tight attic more than just an energy upgrade. Chico and the surrounding region have experienced severe wildfire smoke events, most notably during and after the 2018 Camp Fire. A home with significant air leaks pulls outdoor air, including smoke, in through the attic and ceiling gaps. The ENERGY STAR Seal and Insulate program documents how air sealing reduces infiltration from both weather and outdoor pollutants, benefits that are especially relevant in fire-prone regions like the North State.
Call or submit the online form and we will respond within one business day. We will ask about your home's age, square footage, and the comfort problems you have noticed, so we can bring the right diagnostic equipment to the assessment.
We install the blower door, measure your home's current air leakage rate, and walk the attic to identify every gap. You receive a written estimate and rebate guidance before any commitment is made. This is a real number, not a guess.
The crew works in the attic, applying foam and caulk to every identified gap. Most jobs finish in four to eight hours. Your living areas stay undisturbed, and you can stay home throughout the day.
Before leaving, we run the blower door test again and share both numbers with you so you can see the measured improvement. We also help you with any PG&E or federal rebate paperwork that needs to be submitted.
We respond within one business day. You will get measured results before and after, plus help navigating PG&E rebates.
(530) 924-5802We run a blower door test at the start and again at the end of every air sealing job. You get two real measurements in plain language, not a contractor's word that things improved. The Building Performance Institute sets the standards of practice we follow for diagnostic testing and documentation on every project.
We cover 12 communities across the Sacramento Valley and Northern California, from Chico and Oroville to Redding, Yuba City, Roseville, and Folsom. One contractor and one consistent process across every area, so you know what to expect regardless of which community you are in.
Our C-2 Insulation and Acoustical contractor license from the California Contractors State License Board is active and verifiable. You can look up our license number on the CSLB website in about 30 seconds. It confirms we have met the state's testing and insurance requirements before stepping foot in your attic.
PG&E serves Chico and participates in California's Energy Upgrade California rebate program. We walk every customer through what they qualify for before the project starts, and we help with the paperwork afterward. You should not have to figure out rebate eligibility on your own after writing a check.
Attic air sealing is one of those improvements where there is no ambiguity about whether it worked. You get a number before and a number after. We stand behind both, and we want you to have enough information to hold us accountable to that standard before you hire us.
Control moisture infiltration from below while attic air sealing addresses heat from above, covering your home's full thermal boundary.
Learn moreExtend air sealing beyond the attic to rim joists, crawl spaces, and other bypass locations throughout the whole home.
Learn moreBeat the summer rush. Contact us today and we will respond within one business day with a diagnostic appointment and written estimate.
