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Serving Key West, FL and surrounding areas. (645) 300-7168
Hot, humid air sneaks into your living space through gaps in your attic floor every hour of the day. Sealing those gaps is the fastest way to make your AC more effective and cut your monthly energy costs.
Attic air sealing in Key West means a contractor finds every gap, crack, and penetration in your attic floor and plugs them so conditioned air stays inside your living space, and most single-family jobs are completed in one to two days.
In Key West, your attic can reach temperatures above 140 degrees on a summer afternoon. When there are gaps in your ceiling - around light fixtures, plumbing pipes, the attic hatch, or where walls meet the attic floor - that superheated air pushes down into the rooms below. Your air conditioner spends most of its energy fighting that constant heat load rather than keeping your home comfortable. Many Key West homes, especially the older Conch-style wood-frame structures built in the early 1900s, were designed for natural ventilation rather than sealed air conditioning and have far more gaps than newer construction. If you have added or upgraded your AC over the years but never addressed the attic, you are very likely paying to cool air that escapes before it can do any good.
Sealing and insulating work together but are not the same thing. Insulation slows heat moving through solid surfaces - it does almost nothing to stop air flowing through gaps. That is why proper air sealing always comes first. If you are also considering adding or replacing insulation, our retrofit insulation service handles the full picture, and our broader air sealing services cover the rest of the home beyond the attic.
If your air conditioner seems to run constantly without ever reaching the temperature you set, air leaking from your attic is one of the most common causes. In Key West, where outdoor temperatures stay high even at night, a leaky attic means your system is fighting a losing battle against a steady flood of hot, humid air from above. This is one of the clearest signs that sealing - not a new AC unit - is what your home actually needs.
Moisture stains or a persistent musty smell are warning signs that humid outdoor air is getting in somewhere. In Key West, where outdoor humidity is extremely high year-round, attic gaps are a primary entry point for that moisture. Yellowish rings on your ceiling or a damp smell that cleaning does not fix are worth having inspected before the underlying problem gets worse.
Heat rises, and if your attic is poorly sealed, it pushes down into your living space through ceiling gaps. If rooms on your top floor feel noticeably warmer than the rest of the house - or you feel a wave of warm air when you open the attic hatch - that is hot attic air communicating with your living space. In Key West, even small gaps make a significant difference when attic temperatures exceed 140 degrees.
If your electricity bills have been climbing but your habits have not changed, your home's air barrier may be failing. Older Key West homes built before the 1980s were not sealed to modern standards, and the materials used decades ago can crack and shrink over time. A noticeable increase in what you pay to cool your home is a practical signal that something has changed in how well your home holds conditioned air.
Every attic air sealing job we do in Key West starts with a full assessment before any price is given. We go into your attic and look at what is there - how much existing insulation, what condition it is in, and where the gaps and penetrations are. We use a blower door test on many jobs, which gives you and us an objective measurement of exactly how much air is leaking before the work starts and after it is done. That number is the only honest way to confirm the job worked. Sealing covers every penetration we can access - around every pipe, wire, light fixture, wall top plate, and attic hatch. We use foam for small cracks and rigid board or fire-rated foam around light fixtures and anywhere heat is a concern. Nothing is skipped because it takes extra time. After sealing is complete, if insulation is part of the project, we discuss retrofit insulation options - because sealing without insulating leaves money on the table. For homeowners whose concerns extend to the rest of the home's envelope, our full air sealing services address windows, doors, and other penetrations alongside the attic.
We handle Monroe County permit applications where required and coordinate the inspection. You get written documentation of the work - including before-and-after test results if a blower door was used - for your home files. We also use materials specifically rated for high-humidity, coastal conditions, because standard products degrade faster in Key West's salt air than they would inland.
The complete treatment - every gap, crack, and penetration in your attic floor sealed with the right material for each type of opening. Best for homes with significant leakage or older construction.
For homes where an assessment identifies specific high-leakage areas - like a bank of recessed lights or an unsealed attic hatch - we address those priority spots to deliver the most improvement for the investment.
Sealing and insulation done together in one visit - the correct order for maximum effectiveness. Suited for Key West homes that have never had energy work done or whose existing insulation is thin or damaged.
Before-and-after air leakage measurement using a calibrated blower door - gives you an objective number confirming the work reduced leakage, not just a contractor's assurance that it did.
Key West sits at the southern tip of Florida and experiences some of the most persistent heat and humidity in the continental United States. Average high temperatures stay above 85 degrees for most of the year, and relative humidity regularly exceeds 80 percent. For homeowners, an unsealed attic is not just an energy problem - it is a moisture problem. Humid outdoor air flowing through attic gaps can condense on cooler surfaces inside your home, quietly feeding mold and wood rot over time. Salt-laden ocean air also accelerates the breakdown of sealing materials, which means the caulk and foam used in an older home may have degraded long before the homeowner thinks to check. This is especially true in older Conch-style wood-frame homes throughout Key West, where contractors who work elsewhere often underestimate how many penetrations need to be sealed and what materials will actually hold up in a coastal environment. Homeowners in Key West and throughout the surrounding Keys consistently see more dramatic improvements from attic air sealing than homeowners in cooler, drier parts of the country, simply because the problem is more severe here to begin with.
Key West also sits in one of the highest hurricane risk zones in the continental United States. During storms, wind-driven rain finds its way into attic spaces through gaps that are invisible under normal conditions. Properly sealed attics are more resistant to this kind of water intrusion and help maintain the integrity of your ceiling during high-wind events. Homeowners in Big Pine Key and other areas that have experienced storm damage should specifically ask whether any repair work re-sealed attic penetrations that were disturbed - storm repairs often focus on the visible damage and leave behind the gaps. The Monroe County Building Department requires permits for energy work that affects your home's thermal envelope, and a knowledgeable local contractor will know exactly what applies to your project and handle the paperwork.
When you reach out, we ask a few basic questions - the age of your home, whether you have had any energy work done before, and what problems you have been noticing. We respond within 1 business day and schedule a time to come out and look at the attic in person. Be cautious of anyone who quotes a price without seeing your home first.
We go into your attic and look at everything - existing insulation, condition of any prior sealing, and where all the gaps and penetrations are. Many assessments include a blower door test to measure how much air your home is currently leaking. This visit takes one to two hours and results in a written, itemized estimate.
Depending on scope, we may need to pull a permit through Monroe County before work begins. We handle the permit application for you - you should not have to navigate the county office yourself. Once permits are confirmed and a start date is set, you clear access to the attic hatch and we take care of the rest.
The crew works entirely in the attic - your living space stays clean and undisturbed. Most jobs are completed in a single day. When the work is done, we walk you through what was sealed, show you any photos taken during the job, and run a final blower door test so you have objective confirmation the leakage was reduced.
Free assessment, written estimate, no obligation. We respond within 1 business day.
(645) 300-7168We use foam, caulk, and sealing materials specifically rated for high-humidity, salt-air environments. Standard products used inland break down faster in Key West's coastal climate. Using the right material is the difference between a seal that lasts a decade and one that fails in two years - and we do not cut that corner.
We offer before-and-after blower door testing so you have an objective number - not just our word - confirming the work reduced your home's air leakage. The ENERGY STAR program recognizes this kind of documented, tested approach as the standard for quality air sealing work.
When a permit is required, we pull it and coordinate the inspection. You do not have to navigate the Monroe County Building Department. The permit creates a documented record that the work was done to code - which matters when you sell your home, refinance, or file a storm insurance claim.
Historic wood-frame homes and Conch-style structures require a different approach than newer construction. We know how to seal older homes carefully - addressing the high number of penetrations typical in pre-1980s Key West construction without damaging the structure or historic character of the home. Keys Energy Services also offers rebate programs worth asking about when you schedule.
Every one of these factors is grounded in what we see on Key West jobs every week. The combination of the right materials, objective testing, and permit documentation is what turns an attic air sealing job into a lasting investment rather than a temporary fix.
Add new insulation to your existing home without a major renovation - the natural next step after air sealing is confirmed complete.
Learn MoreWhole-home air sealing covering windows, doors, and penetrations beyond the attic for a complete envelope treatment.
Learn MoreKey West summers are relentless - the sooner your attic is sealed, the sooner your AC stops fighting a losing battle. Call now or request a free written estimate.