ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 388,553 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for November are up 9 percent compared to shipments for the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments for the year of 6,443,615 units are up 1 percent from the same period last year and are on pace to meet or exceed last year's record shipments of 6,746,326 units.

Heat pump shipments of 116,964 jumped 26 percent compared to November 2002. The year-to-date total of 1,517,052 is up 10 percent from January-November 2002.

November distributor shipments were up 22 percent from November 2002. However, year-to-date, distributor shipments are down slightly at 0.1 percent.

Publication date: 01/05/2004