A. O. Smith’s EPD gap, and the spec opportunity

What A. O. Smith makes, at a glance

A. O. Smith is a global water technology company focused on residential and commercial water heating and water treatment. The catalog spans heat pump and electric storage, gas and condensing tank, tankless, commercial boilers, storage tanks, packaged systems, and accessories, plus water filtration and softening. Across brands like A. O. Smith and Lochinvar, the active SKU count sits in the hundreds, with multiple lines tailored to hospitality, healthcare, education, and multifamily.

For scale, the company reported 2024 sales of about 3.8 billion dollars, which signals both reach and manufacturing depth (A. O. Smith, 2025) (A. O. Smith, 2025).

Energy efficiency leadership is not in question

Heat pump water heaters and high‑efficiency commercial units are prominent in the lineup. The Voltex AL hybrid heat pump series promotes Uniform Energy Factor values up to roughly 4, and A. O. Smith has been repeatedly recognized by ENERGY STAR for product efficiency efforts (ENERGY STAR, 2024) (ENERGY STAR, 2024). The company’s Cyclone Flex commercial gas models tout very high thermal efficiencies and smart diagnostics that appeal to facility teams.

A specific product release cited a 66‑gallon heat pump unit with UEF 4.02 alongside other high‑UEF models, which underscores how close the portfolio already sits to decarbonized hot water targets (A. O. Smith Voltex AL news, 2024).

Where EPDs show up today

There are fewer EPDs for water heaters then for structural materials, and that has slowed adoption in MEP. A search of major public EPD libraries by program operators did not surface A. O. Smith product‑specific EPDs for water heaters or boilers as of December 20, 2025. The same scan suggests competitors have not published widely in this niche either, which turns the space into a first‑mover advantage rather than a catch‑up exercise.

For context, the International EPD System alone lists well over ten thousand active EPDs across construction today, so the signal is clear that spec teams expect product‑level transparency even if the category is young (International EPD System, 2025) (International EPD System, 2025).

Why the gap matters on bids

When an EPD is missing, project teams often must model with conservative defaults that can carry a penalty in whole‑building carbon accounting. Products with verified EPDs tend to slot into schedules faster, since they remove guesswork for material credits and embodied‑carbon tallies under owner standards and next‑gen rating frameworks. The cost of creating an EPD is typically small compared to one mid‑size project win that hinges on documentation completeness.

Likely best‑seller candidates for early EPDs

Two families stand out for immediate commercial impact:

• Voltex AL residential and small‑commercial heat pump water heaters, visible at retail and in utility programs, and already positioned as top‑tier efficiency performers (A. O. Smith Voltex AL news, 2024).
• Cyclone and Cyclone Flex commercial gas condensing tanks used across hospitality, healthcare, and education, where submittal packs often gate progress.

Publishing product‑specific EPDs for these lines would cover dozens of high‑velocity SKUs and create a template for the rest of the catalog.

Competitors you’ll meet on specs

In water heating and light commercial boiler scopes, expect Rheem, Bradford White, Rinnai, Navien, and Noritz to appear. On large commercial boiler packages and integrated DHW systems, Lochinvar competes too, though it is part of A. O. Smith’s own portfolio. In design‑assist conversations, these brands are often considered interchangeable within application constraints, which means documentation completeness can tip choices.

Proof that MEP EPDs are viable

HVAC equipment categories already publish EPDs through established operators, including rulesets covering major mechanical systems like water‑cooled chillers. That is a practical signpost for water heating to follow, not a theoretical hurdle (NSF EPD listings, 2025) (NSF EPD listings, 2025).

A fast, low‑friction path to coverage

Start with a focused scope that wins bids:

1. Pick 1 to 2 PCR pathways that align with competitor precedents and North American operator preferences. When multiple PCRs fit, favor the one with the clearest verification path and longest runway before revision.
2. Prioritize high‑volume SKUs in Voltex AL and Cyclone Flex. Publish a handful of model‑level EPDs, then expand by family where bill of materials overlap shortens effort.
3. Lock a single reference year for data, with plant utilities, materials, and scrap captured from ERP and energy invoices. For new variants, use a prospective EPD and upgrade after a full year of production.
4. Build an internal checklist for submittals so sales can attach the EPD PDF and one‑page summary with every quote and cut weeks of email tag.

We have seen teams cut months from timelines by smoothing data collection across plants and surfacing decisions early, like which operator to publish with. That white‑glove orchestration is the make‑or‑break, not the LCA math alone.

Sustainability stance, in their words

A. O. Smith’s latest Sustainability Report details corporate targets, including an enterprise water savings goal and progress on Scope 1 and 2 intensity. It is a helpful signal to specifiers that environmental reporting is already a leadership focus, which makes product‑level EPDs the logical next mile (Sustainability Reports).

The takeaway for specability

A. O. Smith owns the efficiency narrative and has the product depth to match. Publishing a tight set of product‑specific EPDs for Voltex AL and Cyclone Flex would remove a frequent submittal roadblock, earn preference on carbon‑accounted projects, and set the pace in a category where few have published yet. It is the kind of move buyers notice, because it saves time and simplifies decisions, and it is definately within reach.