Early last year, there was widespread concern that the pandemic-related lockdowns would decimate sales of new HVAC equipment. And while there was an initial drop, sales of HVAC equipment rebounded rather nicely in the second half of the year. In fact, according to Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the 2020 year-to-date combined U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 10.1% over 2019, and shipments of gas warm air furnaces decreased only 2.6% for the same time period.

“If I had offered a prediction last March for how 2020 shipments would turn out, I would have been wrong,” said Francis Dietz, vice president of public affairs at AHRI. “A review of AHRI’s statistics for residential air conditioners, heat pumps, electric and gas water heaters, and gas and oil furnaces shows a sustained and nearly across-the-board increase in shipments.”