AERCO’s product portfolio and the EPD opportunity
AERCO builds high‑efficiency boilers and commercial water heaters that show up in hospitals, campuses, multifamily towers and hotels. Yet public, product‑specific EPDs for these workhorses are hard to find. If a project team needs third‑party verified carbon data to stay on track, that gap can quietly push a spec toward competitors that publish it.
Where AERCO plays
AERCO focuses on hydronic heating and hot water for commercial buildings. The lineup spans condensing gas boilers, electric boilers, high‑voltage electrode boilers, and indirect steam‑to‑water and water‑to‑water heaters. Their site positions these systems for education, healthcare, hospitality, government and large residential applications.
See their sustainability page for facility practices and longevity claims, including water recycling and materials choices (AERCO Sustainability).
What they sell, at a glance
Product families include Benchmark and CFR condensing boilers, the Benchmark E electric boiler, Sequoia high‑voltage industrial boilers, and SmartPlate and SmartPlate EV heat‑transfer water heaters alongside Innovation and AM Series units. Across sizes and configurations, the active catalog sits in the dozens of SKUs rather than hundreds based on public product pages.
EPD coverage today
As of December 18, 2025, we could not locate any publicly available, third‑party verified EPDs for AERCO’s boilers or water heaters. That does not prove none exist. It does signal buyers and engineers may struggle to source standardized, comparable carbon data during bid cycles.
Remember that most program operators set EPD validity at five years, so one well executed EPD remains useful across many bids in that window (EPD International, 2025) (EPD International, 2025).
Why this matters in specs
When an owner targets carbon limits or pursues LEED v5 pathways, missing EPDs often means a conservative emissions assumption in whole‑building accounting. That puts otherwise competitive equipment at a disadvantage. With a product‑specific EPD, teams can compare apples to apples and avoid penalty factors tied to generic data. It is not just compliance. It is keeping options open without discounting price to stay in the conversation.
Competitive set AERCO meets in the field
Like‑kind boiler rivals typically include Cleaver‑Brooks, Lochinvar, Laars, Patterson‑Kelley, Fulton and Weil‑McLain. In hot‑water applications, heat pump water heaters are increasingly considered as alternatives in the same buildings, especially on campuses and healthcare.
Meanwhile, broader HVAC players have started publishing EPDs in adjacent equipment. Carrier announced an EPD for select residential HVAC products in North America in March 2025 and notes 48 HVAC EPDs globally in its portfolio, which signals where specs are trending (Carrier, 2025) (Carrier, 2025). Daikin aggregates EPDs for VRV and other systems in Europe, giving consultants an easy link to verified data in proposals (Daikin, 2025).
A likely best seller without an EPD
Benchmark condensing boilers and SmartPlate water‑to‑water heaters are marquee lines for mechanical rooms. In projects where an EPD is a firm requirement, those slots can be contested by electrified heat pump solutions from brands that already publish EPDs, or by boiler‑plant strategies that combine electric equipment with other declared components. That is spec risk hiding in plain sight.
The standards runway is ready
HVACR now has a dedicated path. AHRI’s EPD program was introduced to create PCRs and administer verification for HVACR and water heating categories, making it simpler for equipment makers to publish consistent, comparable declarations (AHRI, 2025) (AHRI, 2025). Pair that with the typical five‑year EPD validity window and annual internal follow‑up and the ROI case improves because one declaration supports multiple bid seasons (EPD International, 2025) (EPD International, 2025).
What a fast, low‑drama EPD plan looks like
Start with one high‑volume product family and the most common duty points. Confirm the PCR competitors use. Align the declared unit, power train and control package with how engineers spec it. Lock a recent 12‑month data period. Publish with a program operator recognized by your target buyers. Then extend to the sister models in that platform. The work is definatley lighter the second time.
Bottom line for manufacturers watching AERCO
AERCO’s range is broad and getting broader with electric and high‑voltage options, which speaks to future‑proofing. The missing piece is public, product‑specific EPDs. In markets where verified carbon data is now a checkbox, that gap can cost real specs. The upside is clear. One published EPD can serve for up to five years while opening doors that generic claims simply cannot (EPD International, 2025).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a boiler or water heater EPD really stay valid for five years?
For most program operators the validity period is five years from publication unless the PCR states otherwise. Many require an annual internal follow‑up to confirm data remains current (EPD International, 2025).
Is there an HVACR‑specific route to publish EPDs now?
Yes. AHRI has introduced an EPD program to create HVACR‑specific PCRs and manage verification so manufacturers can publish consistent, comparable declarations for equipment categories like water heating and HVAC (AHRI, 2025).
If we publish one EPD, can we cover multiple models in the family?
Often yes, when the PCR and operator rules allow grouping of similar models with a declared range or representative product. Your LCA partner should confirm boundaries and variability before you publish.
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
