Your air conditioner might work exactly as designed. The problem might be above your head.
During summer in the San Fernando Valley, attic temperatures can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit or more. This heat rises from the ceiling into your living space. If your insulation is thin, compressed, worn out, or missing in places, your HVAC system has to fight that heat before cooling the room.
As a result, your AC runs all day, the room never feels comfortable, and your electric bill keeps climbing up. Insulation does not cool your home. Instead, it slows down heat transfer, keeping summer heat out and cool air inside.
When insulation works well, your HVAC system runs less often, cools your home faster, and costs less to operate.
Affordable Heating and Air provides insulation assessment, attic insulation upgrades, insulation removal and replacement, and related thermal-performance services across Los Angeles County from our Chatsworth headquarters. Our Simi Valley branch serves Ventura County.
(818) 722-1332. Schedule an Insulation Assessment or book online.
Most homeowners do not think about insulation until the signs are too obvious to ignore:
Some rooms stay hot even when the AC is on. In Valley homes, second-story rooms, rooms below the attic, and west-facing rooms are usually problem areas. If the AC cools most of the house but these rooms are still warm, the insulation above them is probably insufficient.
If your AC runs all day during the summer, it could be because heat comes through a poorly insulated ceiling. The system keeps running unstoppably, which raises your energy bills and wears you out.
If your energy bills have increased even though your usage hasn’t changed, insulation might be the cause. Over time, insulation can break down. Fiberglass batts can compress and lose effectiveness, and blown-in cellulose can shift and become thinner. If your bills have steadily increased over the years without a clear reason, poor insulation is often the cause.
If your ceiling feels warm to the touch during hot weather, it means heat is coming through. When you feel this radiant heat on a summer afternoon, the insulation between your attic and living space is not working properly.
Look for visible gaps, thin spots, or damaged insulation in your attic. If you can see the ceiling joist tops, the insulation is too thin. If certain sections are missing, moved, or damaged by rodents or water, those spots are not insulated at all.
We start every project with an assessment. We check your attic or crawl space, measure insulation, and evaluate its condition. We look for gaps or damage, and determine whether your insulation meets California standards. We recommend the most suitable solution for your home.
Attic Insulation Upgrade: We add the right amount of insulation for your home, climate zone, and applicable California energy requirements.
Depending on the condition of your existing insulation, we may blow in additional cellulose or replace it with replacement batts. This is in areas where insulation is missing, damaged, or too thin.
If your insulation is damaged by rodents, water, mold, or debris, adding more will not fix it. We will remove the old insulation, clean the area, and install the insulation to the correct depth and R-value.
Insulation slows heat transfer, while air sealing stops air from moving through gaps. Both are significant, but they solve different problems. Gaps around lights, pipes, electrical boxes, and attic hatches allow hot attic air to leak into your living space, bypassing insulation.
Sealing these gaps before adding insulation gives you better results than insulation alone.
Ducts running through the attic become inefficient if their insulation is thin or torn. Upgraded duct insulation, usually from the old R-4 or R-6 standard to R-8, keeps more cool air between the air handler and your room.
This upgrade often occurs alongside duct repair or replacement and attic insulation work.
Homeowners usually confuse these three services. Each solves a different problem:
Insulation slows heat flow through surfaces, especially the ceiling, which separates your living space from the attic. Adding insulation helps keep attic heat out, but does not stop air from moving through gaps.
Air sealing closes the gaps and holes in your home that let hot attic or outdoor air flow in. Sealing these spots often has the biggest impact, since moving air brings in more heat than insulation alone.
Duct sealing fixes leaks in HVAC ducts. This prevents cooled or heated air from escaping into the attic and unconditioned air from being pulled into the system. This service is different from insulation and air sealing, but it is often done at the same time. Learn more about duct repair and sealing.
You will get the most effective results by addressing insulation, air sealing, and duct sealing together. During our first inspection, we will figure out which combination your home needs.
Discover how much you could save with proper insulation
LADWP’s Attic Insulation Rebate Program has historically covered a substantial portion of project costs — in some periods, up to approximately 80 percent — with per-square-foot rebates that vary by the R-value achieved and any active bonus promotions. SoCalGas may offer additional insulation rebates while funding is available. Ventura County homeowners may qualify for 3C-REN incentives for energy-efficiency measures.
Rebate amounts, terms, and availability are subject to change. Check the latest offers before starting your project. We handle rebate paperwork for qualifying insulation jobs.
California’s Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards set minimum insulation R-values for each climate zone. If your insulation project needs a permit, which depends on the type of work and your location, the finished job must meet or exceed these standards. We ensure every permitted project is fully compliant.
For full rebate details, visit our California HVAC Rebates page.
Our Simi Valley branch at (805) 755-4074 offers the same insulation assessment, upgrade, and replacement services throughout Ventura County. Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have heat patterns similar to those of the San Fernando Valley, so attic temperatures and insulation needs are the same. Coastal areas have milder summers but may need to address moisture issues with their insulation.
For full Ventura County details, visit our Ventura County HVAC Services page.
We are a locally owned, women-led company with our main office in Chatsworth, serving Los Angeles County, and a Simi Valley branch serving Ventura County.
We are C-20 licensed (CSLB #1081403), have an A+ BBB rating, and 4.9 stars from over 1,600 Google reviews. We consider insulation as part of your entire HVAC system, since the building and equipment work best together.
Financing and Care Club maintenance plans are available.
Yes. Even though LA winters are mild, the extended cooling season means the attic-to-living-space heat transfer is a major energy cost driver for six to eight months per year. Upgrading attic insulation to R-30 or higher reduces the cooling load on your HVAC system, which can lower energy consumption and improve room-by-room comfort — especially in second-story and directly-below-attic rooms.
Check for visible gaps or thin spots where ceiling joists are exposed, compressed or settled insulation that has lost depth, contamination from rodent activity or water damage, and rooms that stay noticeably warmer than others despite adequate AC performance. If your home was built before 1980, the original insulation likely falls below current California standards.
California requires R-30 or higher for most climate zones in the Los Angeles area, though specific requirements depend on the project scope, climate zone, and permit type.
During our assessment, we measure existing R-value and recommend the upgrade level that meets or exceeds current code.
Yes. New HVAC equipment performs to its rated efficiency only when the building envelope supports it. If the attic above is poorly insulated, the system works harder to overcome the heat load — running longer, using more electricity, and delivering less comfort than its SEER2 rating suggests.
LADWP has historically offered attic insulation rebates covering a significant portion of project costs. Rebate amounts vary by R-value achieved and program availability. We handle rebate documentation for qualifying installations. Verify current offerings before scheduling.
Check out our California HVAC Rebates page.
Yes. Our Simi Valley branch at (805) 755-4074 serves Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, and Port Hueneme. Visit our Ventura County page →
If your rooms stay warm even when the AC works, your bills go up every summer, or you feel heat coming through the ceiling, the problem might be in your attic, not your equipment.
An insulation assessment will find the issue and show you what needs to be done to fix it.
Los Angeles County: (818) 722-1332 Ventura County: (805) 755-4074
Serving Chatsworth, Northridge, Granada Hills, Porter Ranch, West Hills, Van Nuys, Encino, Woodland Hills, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Clarita, and all of Los Angeles County. Ventura County services through our Simi Valley branch.
