ARLINGTON, Va. - Combined U.S. factory shipments of 734,342 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for May were down 18 percent compared to shipments from the same month last year, according to Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) statistics. Total shipments of 3,080,695 units for the first five months of 2005 are down 5 percent from the same period last year.

Heat pump shipments for May of 169,701 were down 15 percent compared to May 2004. The year-to-date total of 780,920 is down 1 percent from January-May 2004.

May distributor shipments were down 18 percent from May 2004, with year-to-date shipments down 4 percent.

Publication date: 06/27/2005