ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 493,589 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for February were up 7 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 887,113 for the first two months of the year are 3 percent ahead of those from last year.

Heat pump shipments for February of 135,125 also increased 7 percent compared to February 2004. The year-to-date total of 253,903 is up 1 percent from the same period last year.

February distributor shipments were up 13 percent from February 2004, with year-to-date shipments up 10 percent.

Publication date: 04/04/2005