Who Owns Airtemp?

The Airtemp name carries real HVAC history. Walter P. Chrysler founded the original company in New York on July 7, 1934, initially as Temperature Corporation, renaming it Airtemp, Incorporated that October after failing to find adequate air conditioning for his own offices. It became the Airtemp Division of Chrysler Corporation in 1938, based in Dayton, Ohio.

Chrysler Airtemp pioneered the self-contained packaged air conditioner and the sealed radial compressor, and the brand grew into a major maker of residential and commercial climate equipment through the mid 20th century. The 1970s were difficult: Chrysler was selling unprofitable divisions, and in 1976 Fedders Corporation bought the non-automotive Airtemp assets for $58.5 million, moving operations from Dayton to Edison, New Jersey.

The brand fragmented and faded through the 1980s and 1990s as its pieces passed through Fedders, MagneTek, and RSI Company. For a period the Airtemp name was dormant in the US market.

Nortek revived it in 2012. Nordyne, as the company was then called, relaunched Airtemp as a private label line for distributors wanting an exclusive value brand with a recognizable name. The modern Airtemp covers split system air conditioners, gas furnaces, heat pumps, and packaged units, manufactured at Nortek's facilities.

The brand's parent has since changed twice: Madison Industries owned Nortek from 2016, then Rheem acquired Nortek Global HVAC in October 2024, placing Airtemp inside the Rheem Global Air division.