Year-over-year percentage decline in shipments of major appliances for June 2009, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. Vendors shipped about 5.7 million units in June 2009, down from 8 million units a year earlier. Air conditioners were especially hard hit, with annualized shipments sinking 60 percent. The cool, wet late spring/early summer hurt AC sales, but even where the mercury rose, many homeowners decided to forgo air conditioning to save on energy costs, according to this recent article in The New York Times.
If you’re not willing to sweat it out all summer, the slumping shipment figures could mean even deeper discounts on air conditioners, and you might find it easier to hire a top contractor to install a central-air system.
Read the special report on cooling in the July 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, and check out the free buyer’s guide to air conditioners (ratings and central-air brand-reliability information available to subscribers).—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook
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