Record Year Likely for Air Conditioner, Heat Pump Shipments

Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled 6,619,867 through October, according to the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

That number represents a 9% increase for the first 10 months of 2004 compared to 2003, and it seems likely that 2003's record of 6,807,262 units will be toppled in 2004.