HVAC equipment is widespread in U.S. homes, significant in building energy use, and expanding globally. The measures below distinguish equipment use, installed capacity, shipments, energy consumption, procurement thresholds, and forecasts by geography and period.
Key HVAC Equipment Statistics
The most broadly useful HVAC equipment statistics include:
- In 2020, 109.51 million of 123.53 million U.S. primary occupied homes used air-conditioning equipment, equal to 89%.
- In 2020, 83.16 million U.S. homes used central air-conditioning equipment, or 67% of primary occupied homes.
- In 2020, 32.42 million U.S. homes used individual air-conditioning equipment, or 26%.
- The share of U.S. homes using air conditioning rose from 57% in 1980 to about 89% in 2020.
- The share of U.S. homes with central air conditioning rose from 27% in 1980 to 67% in 2020.
- About 13% of U.S. households used a heat pump as their main heating equipment in 2020.
- Air conditioning represented 19% of U.S. residential electricity consumption, or 254 billion kWh, in 2020.
- Cooling represented 14% of U.S. commercial-building electricity consumption, or 170 billion kWh, in 2018.
- Global cooled floor area was 105 billion square meters in 2022 in the IEA milestone series.
- The IEA milestone series projects global cooled floor area at 250 billion square meters in 2050.
- The IEA estimated that 36% of households globally had air conditioners in 2022.
- Installed global space-cooling capacity was 850 GW in 2022 in the IEA milestone series.
- The IEA milestone series projects installed global space-cooling capacity at 2,700 GW in 2050.
- Space cooling represented 9% of global final electricity consumption in 2022 in the IEA baseline.
- AHRI members shipped 1,043,420 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps in the United States in July 2024.
- Combined AHRI shipments were 21.8% higher in July 2024 than in July 2023.
- AHRI year-to-date combined shipments through July 2024 totaled 5,759,951 units, up 3.0% from 2023.
- DOE’s federal purchasing table lists 15.0 SEER and 12.5 EER as minimums for specified single-phase split air-cooled air conditioners below 65,000 Btu/h.
Contents
- U.S. household HVAC adoption and equipment mix
- Residential, commercial, and manufacturing HVAC energy use
- Global HVAC cooling access, capacity, and floor area
- HVAC equipment shipments and market direction
- HVAC efficiency statistics and rating thresholds
- HVAC equipment statistics by state and climate context
U.S. Household HVAC Adoption and Equipment Mix
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey describes primary occupied housing units. Its categories can include main or secondary equipment, so equipment-use percentages are not a count of unique installed systems.
| Equipment measure | 2020 U.S. homes | Share of primary occupied homes |
|---|---|---|
| Any air-conditioning equipment | 109.51 million | 89% |
| Central air-conditioning equipment | 83.16 million | 67% |
| Individual air-conditioning equipment | 32.42 million | 26% |
| Dehumidifiers | 20.53 million | 17% |
| Ceiling fans | 89.45 million | 72% |
Source: Highlights for air conditioning in U.S. homes by state, 2020. Central equipment includes central heat pumps; individual equipment includes mini-splits, window or wall units, and portable air conditioners.
Ceiling fans are reported alongside HVAC equipment but are not cooling equipment themselves.
Long-term adoption also changed materially. The share of U.S. homes using air conditioning increased from 57% in 1980 to about 89% in 2020, while central air-conditioning use increased from 27% to 67% over the same years.
The EIA reports that approximately 13% of U.S. households used a heat pump as their main heating equipment in 2020. This is a main-heating measure rather than a count of all heat-pump installations, and heat pumps also provide cooling.
Residential, Commercial, and Manufacturing HVAC Energy Use
HVAC-related loads differ by building type and by definition. Residential figures below describe end uses in homes, while commercial figures separate cooling from ventilation and manufacturing figures cover facility HVAC electricity.
- In 2020, air conditioning accounted for about 19% of electricity consumption in U.S. homes, equal to 254 billion kWh.
- In 2018, cooling accounted for about 14% of electricity consumption in U.S. commercial buildings, equal to 170 billion kWh.
- In 2018, ventilation accounted for an additional 18% of commercial-building electricity consumption, equal to 213 billion kWh.
- In 2018, facility HVAC accounted for about 8% of electricity use at U.S. manufacturing facilities, equal to 76 billion kWh.
Source for the electricity measures: How much electricity is used for air conditioning in the United States?. Commercial ventilation is not identical to cooling electricity because some ventilation electricity moves cooled air, and the manufacturing measure covers facility HVAC from multiple energy sources while the stated figure is electricity.
Space heating and air conditioning together accounted for 52% of annual U.S. household energy consumption in 2020. Water heating, lighting, and refrigeration accounted for 25%, while the remaining listed uses, including electronics and appliances, accounted for 23%.
The EIA also reports that electricity supplied about 44% of U.S. residential-sector end-use energy consumption in 2020. Natural gas was used in 58% of U.S. homes and supplied about 43% of residential-sector end-use energy; these percentages use different denominators.
Source: Use of energy in homes. The combined HVAC share varies with climate, dwelling, size, equipment, and fuel.
Global HVAC Cooling Access, Capacity, and Floor Area
The IEA’s milestone series measures cooling at the global buildings level through cooled floor area, household access, installed capacity, and final electricity consumption. These are different metrics: capacity is not annual sales, and household access is not equivalent to ownership in every dataset.
| IEA milestone | 2022 baseline | 2030 | 2035 | 2050 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooled floor area | 105 billion m² | 140 billion m² | 170 billion m² | 250 billion m² |
| Household air-conditioner access | 36% | 45% | 50% | 60% |
| Installed space-cooling capacity | 850 GW | 1,400 GW | 1,750 GW | 2,700 GW |
| Space cooling share of final electricity | 9% | 7% | 6% | 5% |
Source: Space cooling. The 2022 values are estimates or observed baseline measures in the milestone series; 2030, 2035, and 2050 values are IEA pathway projections, not observed outcomes.
The series therefore combines an expansion in the physical area served by cooling with a projected decline in cooling’s share of final electricity consumption. That percentage is an IEA final-electricity metric, not total energy demand.
HVAC Equipment Shipments and Market Direction
AHRI’s monthly release tracks shipments reported by participating U.S. manufacturers. Shipments are not retail sales, installed stock, or a full census of the U.S. market.
| AHRI measure | July 2023 | July 2024 | Change or 2024 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air conditioners | 529,700 | 613,216 | — |
| Air-source heat pumps | 326,771 | 430,204 | — |
| Combined units | 856,471 | 1,043,420 | 21.8% higher |
Source: U.S. Manufacturers’ Shipments of Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps, July 2024. The product categories and reporting population are AHRI’s.
Through July, AHRI members shipped 5,759,951 combined units in 2024, up 3.0% from 5,592,155 through July 2023. Air-conditioner shipments totaled 3,332,577, up 2.8% from 3,242,157, while heat-pump shipments totaled 2,427,374, up 3.3% from 2,349,998.
HVAC Efficiency Statistics and Rating Thresholds
DOE’s federal purchasing table provides minimum efficiency thresholds for specified equipment categories. These values are procurement requirements, not average market efficiency or measured field performance.
| Equipment category | DOE threshold |
|---|---|
| Single-phase split air-cooled air conditioner below 65,000 Btu/h | 15.0 SEER; 12.5 EER |
| Three-phase split air-cooled air conditioner below 65,000 Btu/h | 13.0 SEER |
| Single-phase single-package air conditioner below 65,000 Btu/h | 15.0 SEER; 12.0 EER |
| Three-phase single-package air conditioner below 65,000 Btu/h | 14.0 SEER |
| 65,000 to under 135,000 Btu/h, electric resistance or no heating section | 12.2 EER; 14.0 IEER |
| 65,000 to under 135,000 Btu/h, other heating section | 12.0 EER; 13.8 IEER |
| 135,000 to under 240,000 Btu/h, electric resistance or no heating section | 12.2 EER; 13.2 IEER |
| 135,000 to under 240,000 Btu/h, other heating section | 12.0 EER; 13.0 IEER |
| 240,000 to under 760,000 Btu/h, electric resistance or no heating section | 10.0 EER; 11.6 IEER |
| 240,000 to under 760,000 Btu/h, other heating section | 9.8 EER; 11.4 IEER |
Source: Incorporate Minimum Efficiency Requirements for Heating and Cooling Products into Federal Acquisition Documents. The DOE table includes applicability notes; in the listed three-phase split category, it notes that the units are not covered by federal purchasing requirements.
HVAC Equipment Statistics by State and Climate Context
State-level EIA 2020 estimates show why national adoption rates do not describe every climate or housing market. The figures are for primary occupied homes, and small-state estimates can be less precise.
| State | Primary occupied homes | Any AC | Central AC | Individual AC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 10.26 million | 95% | 83% | 16% |
| Virginia | 3.24 million | 95% | 83% | 17% |
| Washington | 2.94 million | 53% | 30% | 25% |
| Vermont | 0.26 million | 67% | 7% | 60% |
| Wisconsin | 2.39 million | 92% | 67% | 29% |
| South Dakota | 0.35 million | 92% | 76% | 19% |
| Tennessee | 2.66 million | 93% | 86% | 16% |
| West Virginia | 0.70 million | 89% | 64% | 33% |
| Wyoming | 0.23 million | 71% | 40% | 23% |
Source: Highlights for air conditioning in U.S. homes by state, 2020. Percentages may not sum because categories can overlap and values are rounded; state estimates may have sampling error.
Texas and Virginia each reported 95% of primary occupied homes using air-conditioning equipment, but Vermont reported 67%, Washington 53%, and Wyoming 71%. Central equipment ranged from 86% in Tennessee and 83% in Texas and Virginia to 7% in Vermont, while individual equipment reached 60% in Vermont and 33% in West Virginia.