U.S. factory shipments of gas-fired, warm-air furnaces in May totaled 148,249, a 5.1 percent drop compared with the same month last year, according to an AHRI report.

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute also found that for the year to date, gas furnace shipments totaled 691,587, a 15.8 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

Oil-fired, warm-air furnaces for the same month totaled 2,086, a 27.1 percent drop compared with May 2008 totals. Oil furnace shipments for the year so far totaled 14,442, a 25.2 percent drop compared with the same period last year.

Residential electric water heater shipments for May were also down, with a total of 313,492, an 11.5 percent decrease from the same month a year ago. Residential gas water heater shipments totaled 299,013, a 10.8 percent drop compared with shipments for the same month last year. For the year, about 1.6 million residential gas water heaters have been shipped, down 7.4 percent compared with the same period a year ago. For the year to date, about 1.5 million residential electric storage water heaters have been shipped, a 10.4 percent drop compared to the same period last year.

Commercial gas water heater shipments for May totaled 6,220, dropping 15 percent compared with May 2008, while commercial electric water heater shipments totaled 4,691, an 18.9 percent drop compared with the same month a year ago. Commercial electric water heater shipments are 16.6 percent behind total shipments of this product during the same period last year. Commercial gas water heater shipments for the year to date are down 12.8 percent, compared with the same period a year ago.

Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for May totaled 608,254, down 5.1 percent compared with a year ago. For the year, combined shipments totaled 1.9 million, down 18.1 percent compared with the same period last year.

Heat pump shipments for May totaled 196,551, up 4.6 percent from the same month a year ago. For the year to date, heat pump shipments totaled 687,744, a 12.6 percent drop compared with the same period last year.