If you are running a restaurant or any type of commercial kitchen space you have a make up air unit for your exhaust system. The exhaust system’s job is to pull smoke, grease, and other debris in the kitchen air out of the building, and the make-up air system’s job is to pull clean air from outside back inside the kitchen, replacing the dirty kitchen air with clear, fresh air from outside. On top of replacing the air, make-up air systems also help to balance air pressure within the restaurant and help regular internal temperature and humidity. 

While a make-up air unit is required, a tempered or heated make-up air unit is not. The purpose of the tempered or heated make-up air unit is to ‘pre-heat’ the outside air that is being pulled back into the restaurant. When the make-up air unit pulls the air from outside, it goes through a heating element that raises the air temperature before it hits the HVAC system. 

Not only does pre-heating the air being put back into the restaurant increase the comfort of customers by keeping the internal temperatures of your restaurant warmer during the cold winter months, but it also has the added benefit of allowing your HVAC system run more efficiently. Tempered make-up air units help the HVAC system more efficiently heat large volumes of air, preventing the system from overworking while warming down the air as well and allowing the HVAC system to more efficiently maintain the proper temperature throughout the restaurant and kitchen space. By allowing the HVAC system to run more efficiently a tempered make-up air unit also helps save money during the winter months where the cold air requires around-the-clock heating, and by pre-heating the incoming air the tempered units reduce the work load of the HVAC heating systems. 

Tempered make-up air units have applications outside of just restaurants and commercial kitchens, including in laboratories, paint booths, manufacturing facilities and warehouses, boiler rooms, and even underground parking garages. If your business is in an area with grueling winter months it is almost always worth it look into a tempered  / heated make-up air unit when the time is right. HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as no weld Grease Duct, hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.800.715.1014 or by contacting us through our live chat system.