AAON HVAC: Product Range And The EPD Reality
AAON builds the workhorses that condition North America’s schools, offices, healthcare and industrial spaces. Their portfolio spans light-commercial to applied systems with a fast shift to low‑GWP refrigerants. Yet when specifiers hunt for Environmental Product Declarations, coverage looks thin. In a LEED v5 world that rewards verified materials data, that gap can quietly cost shortlist spots and sales momentum (USGBC, 2025).
Who AAON is and where they compete
AAON is a U.S. manufacturer focused on configurable commercial HVAC. Core lines include rooftop units, indoor packaged systems, air handlers, condensing units, and energy recovery options, with strong growth in data centers and cleanrooms via its BasX acquisition (SEC Form 10‑K, 2024). The brand is common in offices, education, healthcare, light industrial, and mission‑critical retrofit work.
What they sell, at a glance
Rooftop units are the flagship. RQ covers 2–6 tons, RN covers 6–140 tons, and RZ covers 45–261 tons. Indoor packaged water‑source and geothermal units run to 70 tons, with H3, V3 and M2 air handlers across project sizes (SEC Form 10‑K, 2024). AAON’s “Alpha Class” heat pumps push cold‑climate performance and the company transitioned to R‑454B refrigerant across lines in 2024, GWP 466 (AAON, 2024).
Category breadth and SKU scale
Product families number in several categories, from light‑commercial rooftops to applied air handlers and packaged self‑contained units. Given the many tonnages and options per family, the active SKU count lands in the hundreds. That configurability is a commercial advantage when schedules are tight or curb sizes are fixed.
EPD coverage today
We could not locate product‑specific EPDs for AAON’s rooftop units, air handlers, or heat pumps in major operator libraries or on AAON’s site as of December 20, 2025. Their sustainability reporting exists and is growing, but a public EPD library is not obvious yet (AAON Sustainability).
Why this matters in bidding now
LEED v5 increases emphasis on decarbonization and materials outcomes while keeping EPD‑style disclosure in play for projects registering today and moving through design in 2026 and beyond (USGBC, 2025). Many teams still earn points under LEED v4.1’s BPDO EPD pathway, which asks for at least 20 qualifying products from five manufacturers and weights product‑specific Type III EPDs at 1.5 products (USGBC, 2024).
A likely best seller without an EPD
RN Series rooftops, 6–140 tons, appear widely specified across education and office retrofits. Without a product‑specific EPD, teams chasing materials credits must look elsewhere to fill their EPD count, which can nudge an alternate basis‑of‑design into the submittal set. That is avoidable friction at bid time.
Competitor set and where EPDs are showing up
On like‑kind packaged rooftops, AAON most often faces Trane, Daikin Applied, Carrier, Johnson Controls’ YORK, and Lennox. In alternate system designs for the same buildings, VRF leaders like Mitsubishi Electric Trane also show up. While packaged rooftop EPDs remain scarce, signals are clear. Carrier publicly launched an EPD for a heat pump and fan coil in 2025, a first mover step for HVAC in North America (Carrier, 2025). AHRI launched an industry EPD program to normalize verified product disclosures across HVACR, which raises owner and specifier expectations in the U.S. (AHRI ACE, 2025).
Where to start if AAON wants full EPD coverage
Pick one high‑volume rooftop platform first. Map the bill of materials, freeze a reference year, and lock the PCR path that competitors and program operators accept for HVAC equipment. For electronics‑rich HVAC, the PEP ecopassport program documents a Type III route used widely for HVAC‑R products, aligned to ISO 14025 and EN 15804 or ISO 21930 (PEP ecopassport, 2025). That choice removes debate on “what rules” and accelerates verification.
Commercial upside
With LEED v5 ratified on March 28, 2025, owners and GCs are tightening submittal checklists around embodied carbon and verified disclosures. A product‑specific EPD turns a maybe into a yes when a project team must hit its 20‑product tally fast, so the price conversation is not the only lever anymore (USGBC, 2025) (USGBC, 2024). For a national spec like RN rooftops, even one mid‑sized project win can repay the EPD effort quickly. It’s worth nothing how often teams never see the projects they quietly lose for missing documentation.
One more thought on refrigerants and timing
AAON’s early move to R‑454B is smart policy and optics. Converting that engineering story into verified product EPDs will let design teams reflect the refrigerant benefit inside whole‑building materials accounting, not just in mechanical narratives (AAON, 2024).
Closing snapshot
AAON is not a niche player. They sell into many building types, with product depth and hundreds of SKUs, and a credible decarbonization story in heat pumps and refrigerants. The missing piece is program‑operator‑verified EPDs on the marquee lines. Add those, and the brand becomes much harder to swap during value engineering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which AAON product families are most visible on U.S. commercial projects and what are their typical tonnage ranges?
Rooftop units are the core: RQ 2–6 tons, RN 6–140 tons, RZ 45–261 tons. AAON also offers indoor packaged water‑source and geothermal units to 70 tons, plus H3, V3, M2 air handlers (SEC Form 10‑K, 2024).
Does AAON publish product-specific EPDs for its rooftop units or air handlers?
As of December 20, 2025, we did not find product‑specific EPDs for those families in major registries or on AAON’s site. Their sustainability reports are public, but an EPD library is not apparent (AAON Sustainability).
How do EPDs influence LEED today and into LEED v5?
LEED v4.1 awards a point for using at least 20 qualifying products with EPDs from five manufacturers, with product‑specific Type III EPDs counting as 1.5 products. LEED v5, ratified on March 28, 2025, increases emphasis on decarbonization while keeping disclosure pathways active (USGBC, 2024) (USGBC, 2025).
Are competitors moving on EPDs for HVAC equipment?
Yes. Carrier announced an EPD for a heat pump and fan coil in 2025, and AHRI launched an HVACR EPD program to standardize disclosures across the sector (Carrier, 2025) (AHRI ACE, 2025).
What is a pragmatic first EPD target for AAON?
Start with the RN Series rooftops due to volume and spec frequency. Select the program operator and PCR framework used by peer equipment categories, such as PEP ecopassport for HVAC‑R Type III declarations, then sequence additional families once data pipelines are proven (PEP ecopassport, 2025).
About the Author
John brings a clear, research-driven perspective on the EPD, LCA and HPD space and keeps a close pulse on environmental trends and standards in North America, helping clients understand where the industry is heading and how to get there.
