Lennox: HVAC portfolio and the EPD coverage gap

Who Lennox is in the built‑environment

Lennox serves residential and commercial markets with packaged rooftop units, split systems, heat pumps, air handlers, furnaces, controls, and now VRF through its Samsung joint venture in North America. On scale alone they are a heavyweight, reporting 2024 revenue of 5.3 billion dollars (Lennox IR, 2025). The catalog spans many product families and likely hundreds of SKUs across capacities and configurations.

Product range at a glance

For commercial projects, the center of gravity is rooftop units and dedicated outdoor air systems, plus VRF and related air handlers. Recent pages highlight Enlight and Model L RTUs, DOAS options, and a broadened VRF offer under Varix with heat recovery and water‑loop variants. Residential coverage includes high‑efficiency heat pumps, furnaces, and IAQ accessories. In short, not a pure play in one niche, but a multi‑category lineup that shows up across schools, offices, retail, and healthcare.

EPD coverage today

We did not find current, product‑specific Lennox EPDs published by major program operators in North America as of December 20, 2025. Outside North America, a French industry collective PEP covers reversible rooftop units and lists LGL Lennox among eligible entities, which signals know‑how exists in the ecosystem even if it is not visible under the U.S. brand today. The company’s sustainability page tracks policy, targets, and reporting, but does not surface product EPDs yet. See their page here: Lennox sustainability.

Competitors who bring EPDs to the table

Several rivals have published product‑level EPDs in HVAC categories that show up in commercial specs. Carrier has an EPD for the AquaEdge 23XRV water‑cooled screw chiller with validity through 2030, a clear example of complex equipment with third‑party disclosure (EPD International, 2025) (EPD International, 2025). Carrier also announced its first residential EPD in North America and referenced a global portfolio of 48 EPDs, which reinforces that HVAC EPDs are becoming normal in bids, not novelties (Carrier, 2025) (Carrier, 2025). In Europe, multiple OEMs have valid EPDs for heat pumps and chillers, such as Galletti’s air‑cooled range from 150 to 590 kW published in late 2024 and still current in 2025 (EPD International, 2024) (EPD International, 2024).

Where the gaps matter in specs

When projects require product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs, brands without them face a paperwork penalty. Teams must fall back to conservative default values for embodied carbon, which can knock a product out of contention for low‑carbon targets or LEED v5 point pursuits. If a design team is comparing a 20‑ to 40‑ton rooftop or a central plant upgrade, a rival chiller or heat pump line with published EPDs can feel like a cheat code. The buyer gets verified data and simpler documentation. The brand without an EPD gets more price pressure and fewer callbacks.

Likely best sellers, likely risk

Rooftop units are a stronghold for Lennox on light commercial jobs. They are available in dozens of tonnages, fuels, and control packages. Yet these are exactly the SKUs that now show up in owner sustainability standards. If a school district or healthcare system screens for declarations, a Carrier chiller with an active EPD or a European OEM heat pump with a current EPD may be favored when documentation must be airtight (EPD International, 2025; EPD International, 2024). That does not mean performance loses, it means paperwork wins.

VRF momentum without the paperwork

The Samsung Lennox joint venture broadened the ductless and VRF offering in 2024 and 2025 with Varix systems. That opens doors in offices, hospitality, and tenant improvements where VRF is common. It also raises the bar on documentation. VRF competitors in Europe frequently publish EPDs for system components. Without similar declarations here, VRF bids can still land, but they may be edged out when carbon accounting is a tie‑breaker.

Who Lennox meets most often on bids

Expect Carrier, Trane, and Johnson Controls’ YORK on central plant and large airside. Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, LG, and Samsung on VRF and ductless. In education and light commercial, the rooftop field adds additional U.S. unitary brands. Across those camps, more EPDs appear each quarter, especially for chillers, heat pumps, and ventilation units.

What smart teams do next

1. Pick the right rulebook. HVAC often uses construction‑product PCRs or category‑specific rules from program operators. Your LCA partner should benchmark which PCR competitors use and target an operator recognized by your key markets.
2. Prioritize the SKUs that move. Start with the RTU and DOAS tonnages that drive most revenue, then add VRF outdoor units and best‑selling indoor cassettes. A focused first wave wins specs sooner.
3. Make data collection painless. The speed bottleneck is usually internal data wrangling across plants, utilities, and suppliers. A white‑glove approach that handles the digs and templates helps you publish faster, with fewer meetings and fewer do‑overs.

What this means for Lennox‑class manufacturers

EPDs are now part of the competitive kit for complex HVAC, not just for wallboard or carpet. Firms with broad portfolios and hundreds of SKUs gain more than most when they turn their top movers into verifed declarations. The ROI tends to show up as fewer documentation detours and more shortlist invites. Specifiers dont love playing detective. Give them credible numbers and they will keep you in the set.

A final note on timing and targets

Big brands publish dozens of EPDs over a couple of cycles, not overnight. Start where bids are most at risk, align the PCR to your competitors, and choose a program operator your customers recognize. Publish cleanly, then refresh on a cadence so your declarations stay valid through the next buying wave. The teams that do this well are the ones we keep seeing in the win columns.