ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 450,496 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for February were down 1 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to statistics from the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

Heat pump shipments of 125,712 were up 3 percent compared to February 2003. Total shipments of 857,876 units were up 2 percent for the first two months of 2004. Factory stocks for February 2004 were up 169,665 units from January 2004, and up 4,991 units from February 2003. Distributor inventories for February 2004 were up 98,425 units from January 2004, and down 141,653 units from February 2003.

Publication date: 04/12/2004