According to the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), shipments of commercial gas storage water heaters increased 8 percent in December 2010 to 6,798 units, up from 6,279 units shipped in December 2009. Shipments of commercial electric storage water heaters increased 15 percent in December 2010 to 4,659 units, up from 4,053 units shipped in December 2009.

Year-to-date, U.S. shipments of commercial gas-storage water heaters increased 4 percent to 78,614 units, compared with 75,487 units shipped during the same period in 2009. Year-to-date, commercial-electric-storage-water-heater shipments increased 5 percent to 58,349 units, up from 55,625 units shipped during the same period in 2009.

Warm-Air Furnaces
U.S. shipments of gas warm-air furnaces for December 2010 increased 15 percent to 270,074 units, up from 234,451 units shipped in December 2009. Oil-warm-air-furnace shipments decreased 23 percent to 5,464 units in December 2010, down from 7,048 units shipped in December 2009.

Year-to-date, U.S. shipments of gas warm-air furnaces increased 13 percent to 2.45 million units, compared with 2.17 million units shipped during the same period in 2009. Year-to-date, U.S. shipments of oil warm-air furnaces increased 2 percent to 56,445 units, compared with 55,619 units shipped during the same period in 2009.

Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps
U.S. shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totaled 340,800 units in December 2010, remaining relatively unchanged from 342,948 units shipped in December 2009. U.S. shipments of air conditioners decreased 11 percent to 206,356 units, down from 232,999 units shipped in December 2009. U.S. shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 22 percent to 134,444 units, up from 109,949 units shipped in December 2009.

Year-to-date, shipments of central air conditioners decreased 3 percent to 3.42 million units, down from 3.52 million units shipped during the same period in 2009. The year-to-date total for heat-pump shipments increased 7 percent to 1.75 million units, up from 1.64 million units shipped during the same period in 2009.