Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for May totaled 739,647, up 8.5% from May 2006 shipments, according to the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).

Year-to-date combined U.S. factory shipments totaled 2.6 million, down 17% from the same period last year. Heat pump shipments for May totaled 198,911, down 4.6% from May 2006 shipments. Year-to-date heat pump shipments totaled 812,619, down 14% from the same period last year. For the full news release,click here.