U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled 916,830 units in July 2026, up 20.1% from 763,443 units in July 2025, according to data released by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
Central air conditioner shipments increased 22.3% year over year to 503,151 units from 411,530. Air-source heat pump shipments rose 17.6% to 413,679 units from 351,913.
For January through July, combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps reached 5,633,518 units, an increase of 5.5% from 5,340,584 during the same period of 2025. Central air conditioner shipments increased 5.2% to 3,063,290 units, while heat pump shipments rose 5.8% to 2,570,228 units.
AHRI’s size data show that units rated at 64.9 thousand BTU/h (approximately 19.0 kW) and below are residential, while units rated at 65.0 thousand BTU/h (approximately 19.0 kW) and above are commercial. July shipments covered capacities ranging from under 16.5 thousand BTU/h (approximately 4.8 kW) to 1,200 thousand BTU/h (approximately 352 kW) and over.
AHRI defines a shipment as the point at which a unit transfers ownership. The statistics cover shipments to customers within the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, including both domestically produced and imported equipment.
