Heating and cooling equipment shipment data released

Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for December totaled 238,160, down 28 percent compared with the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, combined shipments totaled 5,833,354, a 9 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

Heat pump shipments for December totaled 96,497, down 16 percent from the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, heat pump shipments totaled 1.9 million, a 2 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

U.S. factory shipments of gas-fired, warm-air furnaces in December totaled 178,856, a 19 percent drop compared with the same month a year ago. Oil-fired, warm-air furnaces for the same month totaled 5,887, a 28 percent drop compared with December 2007 totals. For the year-to-date, gas furnace shipments totaled 2.3 million, an 18 percent drop compared with the same period last year. Oil furnace shipments for the year-to-date totaled 59,255, a 29 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

Residential electric water heater shipments for December totaled 326,945, a 25 percent drop from the same month a year ago. Residential gas water heater shipments totaled 353,882, a 19 percent decrease compared with shipments for the same month last year. For the year-to-date, about 4 million residential gas water heaters have been shipped, a 9 percent drop compared with the same period a year ago. For the year-to-date, about 4.2 million residential electric storage water heaters have been shipped, a 6 percent drop compared to the same period last year.

Commercial gas water heater shipments for December totaled 6,182, dropping 29 percent compared with the same month last year, while commercial electric water heater shipments totaled 4,844, a 22 percent drop compared with the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, commercial electric water heater shipments (68,686) are 1 percent ahead of total shipments of this product during the same period last year (67,985). Commercial gas water heater shipments (88,265) for the year-to-date are down 2 percent, compared with the same period a year ago (90,345).

U.S. factory shipments of gas-fired steam boilers for the fourth quarter totaled 16,518, a 16 percent increase compared to shipments during the same quarter last year. Fourth-quarter shipments of gas-fired hot water boilers totaled 58,066, a 6 percent jump compared to shipments during the same quarter in 2007. Oil-fired steam boiler shipments for the quarter totaled 3,988, a 28 percent drop compared to shipments during the same period last year. Oil-fired hot water boilers shipments totaled 21,923 for the quarter, a 28 percent drop compared to total shipments during the same period last year.

A total of 6,556 vent-free room heaters were shipped in December, a 70 percent drop compared with the same month last year (21,709). For the year-to-date, 240,063 units have been shipped, a 15 percent drop compared with the same period last year (281,468).

December gas logs and insert product shipments totaled 7,793, a 58 percent drop compared with the same month last year (18,652). For the year-to-date, 181,453 gas logs and inserts have been shipped, a 22 percent drop compared to the same period last year. Gas fireplace shipments for December totaled 1,724, a 30 percent drop compared to the same month last year.