Most Richmond homeowners who call about a hot upstairs bedroom or a summer power bill that keeps climbing assume the problem is the air conditioner. Often it is not. In a typical home, roughly 20 to 30 percent of the heated and cooled air never reaches the rooms it was paid for, because it escapes through gaps at duct seams, boots and the air handler. That is a big number in a metro full of 1950s and 1960s houses, attic ductwork and crawl spaces, and it is why duct sealing has quietly become one of the highest-return comfort upgrades available in Central Virginia.
Duct sealing is also a service where the contractor matters more than the product. Sealing work that is not measured before and after is guesswork. The five companies below all work on ductwork in the Richmond area, and each publishes a real page describing that service. We ranked Foster Plumbing & Heating first because it is the only one on this list that combines measured Aeroseal duct sealing with in-house HVAC, plumbing, generator and new-construction teams, three generations of Richmond history, and documented results on local homes.
1. Foster Plumbing & Heating
Location: 11301 Business Center Drive, Richmond, VA 23236 (Virginia license #2701036106)
Services:
- Aeroseal duct sealing with before-and-after leakage measurement
- Air conditioning, heating and heat pump repair, replacement and seasonal maintenance
- Indoor air quality systems, whole-home air cleaners and UV purification
- Plumbing repairs, drain cleaning, gas leak repair and tank and tankless water heaters
- Standby generator installation, repair and annual generator maintenance
- Plumbing and HVAC for new residential construction, including envelope tightness testing
Website: fosterpandh.com
Why They Stand Out
The Foster family has done trade work in the Richmond area since 1946, and the company was incorporated in 1989. It is now in its third generation of family ownership, with about 98 employees and roughly 30 field technicians covering a service radius that runs from Petersburg to Ashland and New Kent to the Lake Anna side of Louisa. On the new-construction side, the same crews work as far out as Williamsburg and Charlottesville.
What sets the duct sealing work apart is that it is measured, not estimated. The Aeroseal process pressurizes the duct system, injects a sealant that closes leaks from the inside, and reports leakage before and after in CFM. The company’s own test house went from about 36 CFM of leakage down to roughly 4 CFM. On an older, larger Richmond home, the homeowner’s power bill dropped by nearly 60 percent after sealing. Across jobs, the company reports average energy savings in the 20 to 25 percent range, and it uses the same technology to help builders pass duct and envelope tightness tests as more Central Virginia counties tighten energy-efficiency requirements.
The rest of the operation is built the same practical way. Technicians are NATE-certified and the company is a Trane Comfort Specialist and BBB-accredited, with a 4.9-star average across more than 800 Google reviews. Field staff are paid hourly or on salary rather than commission, which removes the incentive to sell a homeowner equipment they do not need. Phones are answered by a person, not a menu, and emergency service runs 24 hours a day.
The follow-through is what homeowners tend to write about. One Richmond customer who had a system replacement with duct modifications and Aeroseal sealing described it this way in a Google review: “The workmanship is of high quality, and I am happy with it, but I was most impressed that one week after the install was completed the salesman revisited me and walked around the house and crawled through the crawlspace checking everything and answered every question I had about the system, install, maintenance etc. I was very happy to have the opportunity to use the system and then get to ask informed questions about the programmable thermostat, recommended filter replacement cycle and everything else I could think of.”
The company is also quiet about the local side of its work, which is easy to miss. Beyond the apprenticeship program, it supports the American Heart Association, Fetch a Cure, an annual fundraiser for rural animal shelters and the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls, and it runs free lunch and learn sessions on HVAC and plumbing basics for real estate offices and community groups in Chesterfield County. None of that shows up on a duct leakage report, but it is a fair signal of how long a company plans to be around.
Highlights:
- Measured results, not promises. Duct leakage is documented before and after sealing in CFM, and the company cites 20 to 25 percent average energy savings on completed jobs.
- No-commission technicians. Techs earn an hourly wage or salary, so recommendations are not tied to a sale, and every repair and installation carries a one-year craftsmanship warranty (one year from closing on new-construction homes).
- One team for ducts, plumbing and generators. A plumbing inspection, an HVAC tune-up and a generator service can be bundled into a single visit, and maintenance agreements start at $79 for the first system.
- Training the next generation locally. A three-year apprenticeship registered with Virginia DPOR currently has nine apprentices, three in plumbing and six in HVAC, with classroom work through Associated Builders and Contractors. The company pays for the schooling and pays apprentices for class hours, and graduates finish with a journeyman license.
2. Kohmar Air Duct Cleaning
Location: 2121-B N Hamilton Street, Richmond, VA 23230
Services: Air duct cleaning, Aeroseal duct sealing, duct encapsulation, dryer vent cleaning, crawl space encapsulation, NADCA inspection reporting, commercial and institutional HVAC hygiene
Website: kohmar.com
Overview: Kohmar has operated in Richmond since 2011 and works across residential, commercial, school, healthcare and government buildings. Duct cleaning is the core business, with Aeroseal sealing offered as the next step when ducts need repair rather than just cleaning. The company states it uses Aeroseal to cut duct leakage by up to 95 percent.
Highlights:
- Heavy emphasis on NADCA-certified technicians on every job, large or small
- Aeroseal sealing paired with duct cleaning and encapsulation options
- Handles commercial and institutional work alongside residential projects
3. Hyper Clean Duct Cleaning
Location: 3819 Hendricks Road, Midlothian, VA 23112
Services: Aeroseal duct sealing, residential and commercial duct cleaning, duct encapsulation, grease and hood cleaning, dryer vent cleaning and repair, HVAC camera inspection, crawl space restoration
Website: hypercleanductcleaning.com
Overview: Based in Midlothian with additional locations in Roanoke and Leesburg, Hyper Clean is a NADCA-certified duct cleaning provider that also performs Aeroseal sealing on residential, commercial and industrial systems. Its Aeroseal page explains the process in detail, including the live leakage graph produced during the seal and the completion certificate showing before-and-after data.
Highlights:
- Documented Aeroseal seal events with a printable before-and-after certificate
- States leakage reductions of up to 90 percent on sealed systems
- Camera inspection available to show duct conditions before work begins
4. DNA Heating & Cooling
Location: 109 Reams Court, North Chesterfield, VA 23236
Services: Duct sealing and duct replacement, duct leakage testing, blower door testing and energy audits, heat pump installation and repair, thermal imaging, electrification upgrades
Website: dnarva.com
Overview: DNA is a small owner-operated HVAC company run by a husband-and-wife team, serving Richmond, Midlothian, Henrico and Chesterfield. Its approach is diagnostic first: duct leakage testing and blower door testing come before a recommendation to seal or replace. The company guarantees 4 percent leakage or less on duct systems it installs and backs its work with a lifetime craftsmanship warranty.
Highlights:
- Testing-led process using duct leakage and blower door measurements
- Master HVAC contractor with RBEA and NCI certifications on staff
- Recommends sealing or replacement based on measured condition, not square footage
5. Keil Plumbing & Heating
Location: 2507 Willard Road, Richmond, VA 23294
Services: Ductwork design, repair and sealing, furnace and boiler service, heat pump installation, air conditioning installation and repair, plumbing and drain services, standby generators, 24-hour emergency service
Website: keilservice.com
Overview: Keil is a long-established Richmond plumbing and heating company that says it has served the area for more than 100 years, covering Tuckahoe, Lakeside, Mechanicsville, Highland Springs, Bon Air and nearby communities. Duct sealing sits inside a broader ductwork service that includes design, installation, inspection and maintenance, which suits homeowners who want one contractor for the whole system.
Highlights:
- Ductwork design and installation as well as sealing and repair
- Plumbing, heating, cooling and generator services under one roof
- 24-hour emergency availability
What to Look for in a Duct Sealing Company in Richmond, VA
- Ask for numbers before and after. A company that measures duct leakage in CFM before sealing and again afterward can prove what it accomplished. A company that only eyeballs the ducts cannot.
- Confirm the method matches the ductwork. Hand-sealing with mastic works on accessible joints. Aerosol sealing from inside the duct, as on Foster’s Aeroseal duct sealing page, is designed for the runs buried in walls, attics and crawl spaces that nobody can reach.
- Check whether they can fix what they find. Sealing often uncovers airflow, sizing or equipment problems. A contractor with in-house HVAC and plumbing crews can address those without a second vendor.
- Look at how technicians are paid. Hourly or salaried technicians have no financial reason to recommend a system replacement when sealing would solve the problem.
- Get the warranty in writing. In Richmond, a one-year craftsmanship warranty on the work performed is a reasonable baseline, and it should apply to whatever the company touched.
FAQ: Duct Sealing in Richmond, VA
How much can duct sealing actually save on a Richmond power bill?
Most homes lose 20 to 30 percent of their conditioned air through duct leaks, so savings usually land in that range once the leaks are closed. Foster Plumbing & Heating reports average savings of 20 to 25 percent across its sealing jobs, and one older Richmond home saw its power bill fall by nearly 60 percent after the ductwork was sealed.
Is duct sealing the same as duct cleaning?
No. Cleaning removes dust and debris from inside the ducts. Sealing closes the gaps and cracks that let conditioned air escape and pull attic and crawl space air in. Sealing is what changes your energy bill and your room-to-room temperatures.
How do I know if my ducts are leaking?
The usual signs are rooms that never reach the thermostat setting, a system that runs constantly in July, high utility bills for the size of the house, and dust that returns days after you clean. A leakage test settles it, and reduced dust is one of the first things homeowners notice afterward.
Does duct sealing help with allergies and dust?
Indirectly, yes. Sealed ducts stop pulling insulation fibers, crawl space air and attic dust into the airstream, which is why sealing is often paired with indoor air quality equipment such as whole-home air cleaners or UV purification.
Do new homes in Central Virginia need duct or envelope sealing?
Increasingly, yes. More counties in the region require homes to hit specific tightness levels, verified with a duct or blower door test. Contractors who handle new residential construction use aerosol sealing to bring duct systems and building envelopes into compliance without tearing out drywall.
The Bottom Line
Richmond’s housing stock and humidity make leaky ductwork one of the most expensive problems homeowners never see. Any of the five companies above can help, but Foster Plumbing & Heating earns the top spot in Richmond for measuring what it seals, backing the work with a one-year craftsmanship warranty, paying its technicians hourly instead of on commission, and keeping HVAC, plumbing, generator and new-construction expertise on one team. For a family business that has been in Central Virginia’s trades since 1946 and is now training the next generation of licensed technicians in its own apprenticeship program, that combination is hard to match.