Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled 491,986 units in December 2018, up 3.9 percent from 473,496 units shipped in December 2017. U.S. shipments of air conditioners decreased .6 percent, to 292,320 units, down from 293,983 units shipped in December 2017. U.S. shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 11.2 percent, to 199,666 units, up from 179,513 units shipped in December 2017.
Year-to-date combined shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps increased 6.9 percent, to 8,340,262, up from 7,805,529 units shipped in December 2017. Yearto-date shipments of central air conditioners increased 4.1 percent, to 5,399,760 units, up from 5,185,747 units shipped during the same period in 2017. The year-to-date total for heat pump shipments increased 12.2 percent, to 2,940,502, up from 2,619,782 units shipped during the same period in 2017.