For the year ending December 2017, sales of HVACR equipment showed solid mid-single-digit growth. That is according to Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), which reported that year-to-date combined U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 6.5 percent over 2016, and shipments of gas warm-air furnaces also increased 6.5 percent for the same time period.
These figures come on the heels of surprisingly good news from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which reported the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S. increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017, following an increase of 3.2 percent in the third quarter. Overall, real GDP increased 2.3 percent in 2017, compared with an increase of only 1.5 percent in 2016.