ARLINGTON, Va. — The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) released the April 2014 shipment data for U.S. heating and cooling equipment and the numbers are up for air conditioners and air-source heat pumps. U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled 648,404 units in April 2014, up 2.6 percent from 632,187 units shipped in April 2013. U.S. shipments of air conditioners increased 1.6 percent, to 433,078 units, up from 426,184 units shipped in April 2013. U.S. shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 4.5 percent, to 215,326 units, up from 206,003 units shipped in April 2013.

Year-to-date combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 10.4 percent, to 2,054,421 units, up from 1,861,434 units shipped in April 2013. Year-to-date shipments of central air conditioners increased 7.3 percent, to 1,304,904 units, up from 1,215,772 units shipped during the same period in 2013. The year-to-date total for heat pump shipments increased 16.1 percent, to 749,517 units, up from 645,662 units shipped during the same period in 2013.

The story for gas warm air furnaces shows a 3.7 percent decrease for April 2014, but oil warm air furnace shipments increased 36.1 percent, to 1,762 units in April 2014, up from 1,295 units shipped in April 2013. 

Year-to-date U.S. shipments of gas warm air furnaces increased 7.1 percent, to 783,351 units, compared with 731,673 units shipped during the same period in 2013. Year-to-date U.S. shipments of oil warm air furnaces increased 10.9 percent to 9,347, compared with 8,432 units shipped during the same period in 2013.

For more information, visit www.ahrinet.org.