The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) reported that U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 27.3% in September 2026, reaching 673,286 units compared with 528,980 units in September 2025. The figures were published on November 12, 2026, as part of AHRI’s monthly heating and cooling equipment shipment report.
Central air conditioner shipments rose 40.9% year over year to 370,855 units, compared with 263,291 units in September 2025. Air-source heat pump shipments increased 13.8% to 302,431 units, up from 265,689 units a year earlier.
During the first nine months of 2026, combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps reached 7,063,543 units, an increase of 7.9% from the same period in 2025. Central air conditioner shipments grew 9.1% to 3,852,468 units, while air-source heat pump shipments increased 6.4% to 3,211,075 units.
Among equipment capacity categories, units rated at 33,000–38,900 BTU/h (approximately 9.7–11.4 kW) recorded 143,795 shipments in September, up 42.4% year over year. Shipments in the 22,000–26,900 BTU/h (approximately 6.4–7.9 kW) category reached 134,335 units, an increase of 29.4%.
Other equipment categories showed mixed results. September shipments of gas warm air furnaces decreased 0.4% to 279,746 units, while residential gas and electric storage water heater shipments declined 3.0% and 3.1%, respectively. Commercial electric storage water heater shipments increased 7.0% to 13,660 units.
AHRI states that its statistics are aggregated from participating member companies and cover shipments to customers in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, including domestically manufactured and imported equipment. A shipment is recorded when ownership of a unit is transferred. AHRI does not provide market forecasts or publicly available state-level shipment data.
