The Brand Story
Comfort-aire: A Michigan Supplier Built Around the Contractor's Hardest Week
Every mechanical contractor knows the week. It is July, a hotel's heat pump has failed in the middle of a full booking, and the replacement has to match a cabinet, a return side and a water connection that were chosen decades ago. In Jackson, Michigan, a company called Heat Controller built its reputation on that moment: having the right unit, in season, ready to ship. Comfort-aire is the name that company puts on the equipment.
Chapter 1 · Jackson, Michigan
A supplier, not a showroom
Heat Controller has supplied heating, cooling and dehumidification equipment to North American distributors for well over half a century. By 2013 the trade press described it as a source of residential and commercial equipment for more than 75 years. Its equipment division ran from Jackson, Michigan, and Guelph, Ontario, and its product range stretched from half-ton units to 25-ton commercial systems.
The company sold under two names in the United States, Comfort-aire and Century, and in Canada as Comfort-Aire by Aiton. It was known less for advertising than for practical things contractors notice: equipment that was actually on the shelf during the season, quick delivery, warranty support and training programs. It also offered one of the broadest equipment lines in the industry, which is how a Michigan company came to build its name on water source heat pumps for buildings across the country.
That breadth explains why a single brand can cover a hotel guest room, an apartment closet and an open office floor. A contractor replacing a dozen failed units in one building can often stay within one family of cabinets, controls and service procedures, which keeps parts, training and paperwork simpler for everyone involved.
Chapter 2 · 2013
The MARS merger
In May 2013 Motors & Armatures, Inc., the family-owned parts supplier from Hauppauge, New York, better known as MARS, announced it had acquired Heat Controller. MARS called the deal a merger of equals. One company supplied motors, components and installation parts; the other supplied the equipment those parts went into. The two divisions continued to operate independently under the MARS umbrella, with Don Peck leading Heat Controller and both the Jackson and Guelph operations staying in place.
The stated goal was simple: become one of the most complete suppliers of HVACR parts and equipment in the business.
Chapter 3 · 2024 to 2025
Private equity and a sharper focus
In July 2024 Platinum Equity invested in MARS, and Heat Controller came along with it. Over the next year Platinum reshaped the business. It added products and an acquisition on the parts side, then sold the MARS parts division to CSW Industrials in 2025 for $650 million. What remained was Heat Controller, a standalone equipment company selling Comfort-aire and Century through distributors across North America, led by chief executive Philip Windham.
Chapter 4 · 2026
A new home at Lennox
On June 18, 2026, Platinum Equity announced a definitive agreement to sell Heat Controller to Lennox, one of the largest names in American heating and cooling. Financial terms were not disclosed. At the time of the announcement the deal was expected to close later in 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals. For contractors who know Comfort-aire mainly as the unit that fits the closet, the practical story is continuity: the same model families, now headed toward a much larger parent.
The Lineup
What Comfort-aire builds today
Comfort-aire's full catalog spans residential and commercial heating, cooling and dehumidification equipment. The part of it HVAC365 carries is commercial water source heat pump package units, the zone-by-zone machines that live in hotels, apartments, schools and offices on a shared water loop.
- Water source heat pump package units: Comfort-aire units on R-454B refrigerant, from a 6,000 BTU horizontal zone unit up to 10-ton commercial models, with efficiency ratings in our listings from 13.4 to 15.3 EER.
- Light commercial units: 1.5-ton and 3-ton vertical and horizontal models, such as the 3-ton 14.6 EER vertical with left return and the 1.5-ton 14.3 EER vertical with right return, sized for guest rooms and apartments.
- 6-ton units: belt-driven 14.1 EER models in vertical and horizontal cabinets, with back, top or straight supply and left or right return.
- 8-ton units: belt-driven 15.3 EER models, including a vertical with front and top return and a horizontal with right return and back supply.
- 10-ton units: belt-driven 13.7 EER horizontals with straight supply and a choice of left or right return, built for open floors and common spaces.
- Loop connections: stainless steel hose assemblies, such as a 1-inch by 36-inch kit, that connect a heat pump to the building's supply and return piping.
The long model descriptions are not decoration. Return side and supply direction decide whether a replacement drops straight into an existing closet or ceiling space, or whether ductwork has to be rebuilt around it.
The Next Chapter
Living on the loop
A water-loop building is a shared system. A boiler adds heat in winter, a cooling tower or fluid cooler sheds it in summer, and the loop in between stays within a fairly narrow temperature band. Every Comfort-aire heat pump on the loop simply trades heat with that water. When half the building is cooling and half is heating, the units are effectively passing heat to each other.
Larger units use belt-driven blowers, which let the installer adjust fan speed with pulley changes to match the duct system's static pressure. Newer models in our catalog use R-454B, a lower global warming potential A2L refrigerant, installed with A2L-rated tools and the manufacturer's procedures.
At a Glance
Comfort-aire at a glance
- Brand owner
- Heat Controller
- Headquarters
- Jackson, Michigan
- Canadian operations
- Guelph, Ontario
- Sister brand
- Century
- Equipment range
- 1/2 to 25 tons
- Parent 2013 to 2024
- MARS (Motors & Armatures)
- Owner since 2024
- Platinum Equity
- Announced buyer
- Lennox, June 2026
- Refrigerant in our listings
- R-454B
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Comfort-aire
Who makes Comfort-aire?
Comfort-aire is a brand of Heat Controller, an HVAC equipment supplier based in Jackson, Michigan, that also sells the Century brand.
Is Comfort-aire being sold to Lennox?
In June 2026 Platinum Equity announced a definitive agreement to sell Heat Controller, the company behind Comfort-aire, to Lennox. The deal was expected to close later in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
Who owned Comfort-aire before Platinum Equity?
Heat Controller was acquired in 2013 by MARS, a family-owned HVACR parts supplier from Hauppauge, New York. Platinum Equity invested in MARS in July 2024.
Why do the larger Comfort-aire heat pumps use belt drive?
Belt-driven blowers let the installer change fan speed with pulley adjustments, which helps match airflow to the static pressure of a commercial duct system.
What refrigerant do the Comfort-aire units on HVAC365 use?
The Comfort-aire water source heat pumps in our catalog use R-454B, a lower-GWP A2L refrigerant that requires A2L-rated tools and procedures.
