Samsung for Buildings: Big HVAC, Thin EPDs

What Samsung actually sells into buildings

Samsung’s U.S. and Canada HVAC push centers on ductless mini splits, multi splits, and VRF under the DVM S and DVM S2 families, plus controls and a growing air‑to‑water heat pump lineup previewed for North America at CES 2025 (Samsung Newsroom, 2024). A 2024 joint venture with Lennox formalized sales of ductless and VRF in both countries (Lennox, 2024). In May 2025 Samsung also announced an agreement to acquire FläktGroup, a European ventilation and air handling manufacturer with deep commercial footprints, a deal aimed at data center and commercial HVAC growth (Reuters, 2025).

Beyond HVAC, Samsung places hundreds of commercial displays and signage options, and a wide appliance catalog in the market. The building‑facing portfolio spans multiple categories and likely hundreds of SKUs, not a pure play.

EPD coverage today

We looked for Samsung‑branded, product‑specific Environmental Product Declarations for HVAC, appliances, or commercial displays in the major public registries used by project teams. As of December 20, 2025 we could not find Samsung HVAC EPDs in the International EPD System, IBU, or UL’s public listings. Samsung Semiconductor does publish product carbon footprints and has received EPD or carbon labels in Korea and via Carbon Trust for select chips, which is great engineering, but those labels do not map cleanly to construction product credits (Samsung Newsroom, 2018) (Samsung Semiconductor, 2023).

Why the gap matters commercially

LEED v5, ratified in March 2025, turns the dial toward embodied carbon and materials transparency across the board. Teams planning for v5 are escalating asks for product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs to avoid penalties from default factors and to secure credit contributions (USGBC, 2025). If a product lacks an EPD, it often gets sidelined for projects that need these credits to hit portfolio targets. That is lost pipeline, not just lost points.

Competitors are already arming up

Carrier published an EPD in March 2025 covering a residential variable‑speed compact heat pump and a fan coil, signaling a visible move in North America that specifiers can reference in submittals (Carrier, 2025). On the ventilation side, Samsung’s pending acquisition target FläktGroup has multiple third‑party EPDs for AHUs and chilled beams in EPD Hub, for example an EQ air handling unit declared under EN 15804 with cradle to gate plus options scope (EPD Hub, 2025). In day‑to‑day bidding, Samsung is typically stacked against Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, LG, Carrier, Trane, Johnson Controls, and Lennox. When EPDs are on the table, a verified declaration can be the tiebreaker.

Likely best sellers that need declarations

DVM S2 VRF is a flagship line used across offices, education, hospitality, healthcare, and mixed‑use. It is exactly the sort of high‑leverage family where a product‑specific EPD would remove uncertainty for design teams. For residential and light commercial, mini split and multi split outdoor units plus a representative indoor cassette or wall unit would efficiently cover a large share of volume. For air‑to‑water heat pumps, one representative size per refrigerant family can anchor a collection of models.

Where EPDs would move the needle first

• VRF outdoor units and a common indoor unit type for multi‑application coverage.
• Air‑to‑water heat pumps planned for North America, paired with a storage module where relevant.
• Core ventilation products post FläktGroup close, coordinated so declarations align on methods.

These are the packages specifiers ask about in kickoff calls. Publish them and the conversation flips from “can we use it” to “where does it fit”.

Picking the right rulebook and operator

A PCR is the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart. For HVAC, teams often choose EN 15804 based PCRs via recognized program operators so the data flows cleanly into LEED submittals and whole building LCA tools. Mutual recognition across operators like IBU, EPD International, UL, or EPD Hub reduces rework between regions. The key is selecting the dominant PCR in your competitive set, then timing renewals so expiries do not cluster right before a bid window.

Data, not drama

Manufacturers sometimes delay EPDs because data collection across plants and SKUs feels messy. The fix is a ruthlessly efficient intake, a single reference year for utilities and waste, and a clear change‑management path for refrigerant transitions. For brand‑new models, a prospective EPD can bridge the gap and be refreshed once a full operating year is in the books. Done well, the internal lift is measured in focused workshops, not endless spreadsheets. It is definately doable.

Samsung’s sustainability stance

Samsung publishes extensive sustainability materials and verified achievements, including Zero Waste to Landfill validation and product LCA summaries. Those set a credible foundation to extend into construction‑grade declarations. See their sustainability portal for context and roadmaps (Samsung Sustainability).

What to watch next

Two near‑term milestones will shape specification odds. First, whether Samsung closes the FläktGroup acquisition and aligns EPD strategy across HVAC and ventilation portfolios with common methods and shared background data (Reuters, 2025) (EPD Hub, 2025). Second, the speed at which Samsung publishes product‑specific EPDs for DVM S2 VRF, mini splits, and the North America air‑to‑water heat pump range. Publish a tight first wave and Samsung becomes far easier to select on LEED v5 projects without price‑only tradeoffs.