ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 551,459 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for February were up 14 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 1,254,702 units for the first two months of 2006 are 41 percent ahead of those from last year.

Heat pump shipments for February of 155,839 increased 15.3 percent compared to February 2005. The year-to-date total of 328,186 is up 29 percent from January-February 2005.

February distributor shipments were up 23.8 percent from February 2005, with year-to-date shipments up 40.2 percent.

Publication date: 04/03/2006