ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 450,496 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for February are down 1 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments for the first two months of 2004 of 857,876 units are up 2 percent from the same period last year.

Heat pump shipments for February of 125,712 units were up 3 percent compared to February 2003. The year-to-date total of 250,877 is up 7 percent from January-February 2003.

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

Publication date: 04/05/2004