Steel Markets
April Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipments Down 9% from March High
Written by Brett Linton
June 14, 2022
US heating and cooling equipment shipments fell 9% to 2.07 million units in April, following a 24% jump in March, according to data from the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Recall that March saw the third highest monthly shipment rate in our history at 2.28 million units, with the record high occurring in June 2021 at 2.32 million units and June 2020 holding onto second place with 2.28 million units. Total April shipments are down 4% compared to levels one year prior.
On a twelve-month moving average (12MMA) basis, shipments averaged 2.04 million tons per month over the past year, down 6,000 units from the March 12MMA (when we saw the highest level in our recorded history). Shipments averaged 2.03 million units per month in 2021, up 10% compared to 1.85 million units per month shipped in the same period of 2020. 
As shown in the chart below, total heating and cooling shipments on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis are up 2% year over year. Prior to April, this annual growth rate was at 3% for each month since November 2021. May and June 2021 hold the record high 3MMA annual rates of change at 32% and 27%, respectively. Prior to 2020, the record high was 17% in February 2015.
Residential and commercial storage water heater shipments decreased 1% year over year to a combined 807,571 units in April; 789,880 units were shipped for residential use and 17,691 units for commercial use. Water heater shipments are down 16% month over month.
April shipments of warm air furnaces totaled 322,588 units, a decrease of 7% compared to the same month last year. This is the fifth consecutive month that shipments have decreased on a year-over-year basis. Shipments for warm air furnaces declined 11% from March.
Central air conditioners and air-source heat pump shipments declined 4% from levels one year ago to 940,462 total units in April: 592,889 air conditioners and 347,573 heat pumps were shipped. AC and heat pump shipments are down 1% compared to one month prior.
The full press release is available on the AHRI website here.
An interactive history of heating and cooling equipment shipment data is available here on our website. If you need assistance logging in to or navigating the website, please contact us at Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Brett Linton
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