ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for May totaled 681,980, down 7.1 percent compared with shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments for the first five months of the year are 3,187,550 units, up 4 percent over a year ago.

Heat pump shipments for May totaled 208,592, up 22.9 percent compared with the same month last year. The year-to-date total of 948,834 is up 21.5 percent from January-May 2005.

May distributor shipments were up 1.1 percent from May 2005, with year-to-date shipments up 11.2 percent.

Publication date: 07/03/2006