Why the ceiling, not the windows, is where a Hill Country home loses the fight in August. What 14 inches of blown-in insulation means, when topping up works and when the old material has to come out.
An attic in Burnet County runs 130 to 150 degrees on an August afternoon. The only thing between that and your bedroom ceiling is a layer of insulation that was put in when the house was built and has been settling, getting wet and hosting rodents ever since. When the upstairs never cools down and the AC never shuts off, this is usually why.
For our climate zone the recommended level for blown-in insulation works out to roughly 14 inches, level across the whole attic. Most homes we inspect have six to eight inches, compressed below the joists, with bare spots where someone crawled through to fix a duct. You can check yourself from the attic hatch: if you can see the tops of the joists, there is not enough.
If the existing material is dry, clean and simply thin, adding on top works and costs less. If it has been wet, has rodent contamination, or is compressed to a mat, adding on top seals the problem in. We remove it to the bare deck, bag it and haul it off, then seal the ceiling penetrations and duct boots before blowing in new material. The sealing step is the one most companies skip and the one that makes the biggest difference.
Most of the summer heat load comes through the ceiling. Bringing a thin attic up to spec is the biggest single improvement you can make to a Central Texas cooling bill, bigger than a new thermostat and usually bigger than new windows. We do not promise a number, because it depends on the house, but customers tell us the difference on the first month's bill.
Free attic inspection with depth measurements and photos, written estimate, removal if needed, sealing, 14 inches blown in level, and depth markers left in the attic so you can check it yourself. Most homes are a single day. If spray foam is genuinely the better choice for your house, we will say so, because we do not install it.
See what Air Duct Busters customers have shared about the work completed, their experience with our team, and the service they received.
They came to do the full inspection of our HVAC system and performed a thorough inspection with photos and a very detailed list of quoted recommendations. Gary and team were punctual the 3 times they came to our home and their price was very reasonable.
Read on GoogleGary and the team completely overhauled and replaced all ducts, return boxes, drains, etc. for both of our HVAC systems. Timely, professional, prepared, friendly and completed the large job in record time.
Read on GoogleAnother company installed my HVAC and did a poor job. Air Duct Busters came in to fix the other company's mistakes and improve the efficiency of my heating and cooling. They're now our go-to HVAC professionals.
Read on GoogleCame by to do an inspection after a shoddy job by a different HVAC company. They remedied all the existing issues with the HVAC unit, added insulation where we were significantly lacking, and cleaned up thoroughly after.
Read on GoogleShort reads from the crew: what we find in Hill Country homes, what it costs, and what to do about it.
From our job log in Lago Vista: 4 recent visits for HVAC, attic insulation, ductwork. Photos from the crew, work as written on the invoice.
September 7, 2026 · 2 min read
An AC that never shuts off in a Texas summer is usually not broken. Attic ducts, a dirty coil, a thin attic and a leaking plenum are the common causes, and most are cheaper to fix than a new unit.
September 7, 2026 · 4 min read
A general home inspection turns the AC on and off. It does not open the plenum, look inside the ducts, or go up the flue. What to check before closing, and what it costs when you do not.
September 7, 2026 · 4 min read
Leave a number and we call you back within the hour to set a window. The inspection costs nothing and you decide afterwards.