ARLINGTON, Va. — Combined U.S. factory shipments of 619,974 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for August were up 3 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 5,170,312 units for the first eight months of 2003 are down 1 percent compared to last year.

Heat pump shipments for August of 142,118 were up 16 percent compared to last August. The year-to-date total of 1,160,110 is up 6 percent from January-August 2002.

Distributor shipments for August were up 12 percent from a year ago. Year-to-date distributor shipments are down 4 percent.

Publication date: 09/29/2003