Most manufacturers in the HVACR industry had something to smile about last year. According to the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), shipments of air-source heat pumps and unitary air conditioners surged past the 7 million unit mark in 2004 for the first time, ending the year with a record 7,401,067 units shipped. This total is up 9 percent compared to 2003.
On the heating side, the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported that gas warm-air furnace shipments surpassed 3.5 million units in 2004, an increase of about 7 percent over 2003. Oil warm-air furnace shipments reached nearly 130,000 units, which is up about 2.3 percent.