ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for March totaled 725,286, a decrease of 7.1 percent compared with shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 1,979,988 units for the first three months of 2006 are up 19 percent from a year ago.

Heat pump shipments for March of 247,084 increased 31.1 percent compared with March 2005. The year-to-date total of 575,270 is up 30 percent from January-March 2005

March distributor shipments were down 3 percent from March 2005, with year-to-date shipments up 20.2 percent.

Publication date: 05/01/2006