ARLINGTON, Va. — Combined U.S. factory shipments of 682,810 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for July declined 1 percent compared to shipments for the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 4,550,338 units for the first seven months of 2003 are down 1 percent from those of last year.

Heat pump shipments of 147,634 were up 15 percent compared to July 2002. The year-to-date total of 1,017,992 is up 5 percent from January-July 2002.

July distributor shipments were up 2 percent from July 2002. Year-to-date, however, distributor shipments are down 6 percent.

Publication date: 09/01/2003