United Air Temp to lay off nearly a third of its workforce 

Virginia-based residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company United Air Temp will conduct a “mass layoff” of 96 employees, or nearly a third of its workforce, in November, according to a new state filing. 

What’s happening: The layoff will impact employees who work on-site at the company’s headquarters in Lorton, Virginia, just outside of D.C., as well as 53 field workers, including apprentices, plumbers, and service technicians. 

• The “expected separation date” is November 10, per the filing, and all separations will be permanent. 

The filing did not disclose a reason for the layoff, and a representative for United Air Temp didn’t respond to a request for comment. 

Catch up quick: In 2021, United Air Temp received an investment from Charlotte, North Carolina-based investment firm Summit Park, kicking off an acquisition spree through which the company bought seven additional HVAC and plumbing businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

• In 2024, private equity firm Littlejohn & Co. acquired the company for an undisclosed sum and subsequently branded the roll-up as United Comfort Group. 
• Today, United Comfort Group has about 900 employees across its eight brands from Maryland to Florida, with United Air Temp serving as the flagship, counting roughly 300 employees across five markets. 
• United Air Temp was founded in Pennsylvania in 1931 and relocated to Virginia in 1979.

Of note: Since Littlejohn & Co. acquired United Air Temp in 2024, United Comfort Group has appointed two new CEOs — Alan Davenport and Deepak Chandrasekaran, in April 2025 and February 2026, respectively. 

• Littlejohn didn’t return a request for comment.