Shipments of electric water heaters bounced back in March

Shipments of residential electric water heaters with a storage tank rose 4.2% from a year earlier to 464,048 units in March, according to data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

The increase contrasted with shipments of gas water heaters with a storage tank, which fell 3.7% from a year earlier to 399,097 units in March, the data show.

Shipments of heat pumps fell 3.5% to 367,973 during the comparable periods.

The decline was slimmer than those seen in the fall, when it appeared that many households had put off upgrading to energy-efficient equipment as they waited for state lawmakers to set levels of tax rebates.

Shipments of central air conditioners slipped by about 5.2% from a year earlier to 470,653 in March, the data show.