Kyle Sunderlin, PE, national engineering manager, Ascension (Nashville, Tenn.)
In his role as national engineering manager at Ascension, Kyle Sunderlin is a driving force in advancing healthcare resiliency and sustainability through the diversification and application of emerging domestic hot water (DHW) systems in acute care environments.
Specifically, his work over the past 12 months at the nonprofit Catholic health system has focused on leading a transition away from steam-based systems toward high-efficiency hybrid DHW plants to improve reliability, reduce energy consumption, and support decarbonization goals at multiple acute care facilities.
Healthcare facility management and hospital infrastructure leadership
Sunderlin’s work has impacted the organization’s building operations in three states, each presenting a different set of challenges. For example, in Florida, he directed the conversion of failing steam plants in active acute care hospitals, developing hybrid DHW solutions that maintained continuous operations throughout phased implementation. In Kansas, he led the engineering replacement of a deteriorating steam system on an older hospital campus, evaluating load profiles, infection control requirements, and infrastructure constraints to deliver a right-sized hybrid plant built for long-term resilience.
He took that strategy a step further in Texas by integrating hybrid DHW systems into a new acute care facility from the outset, eliminating the need for centralized steam entirely and establishing a model for next-generation hospitals, with decarbonization and operational flexibility built in.
Improving healthcare facility operations through engineering innovation
Across these projects, Sunderlin’s role extended beyond technical design to include strategic lead and subject matter expert, guiding feasibility studies, lifecycle cost analyses, and system selection decisions. He also worked closely with system leadership and facilities teams to align infrastructure upgrades with resiliency planning and sustainability targets.
Moreover, he collaborated directly with equipment manufacturers to introduce new product solutions. Recognizing that many high-efficiency commercial systems were not originally designed with acute care requirements in mind, he educated industry partners on the specific demands of healthcare environments as well as healthcare codes, infection control standards, redundancy requirements, and the necessity for dual-fuel or diversified energy sources. The result is equipment configurations that meet healthcare-specific compliance, deliver meaningful gains in efficiency, and are now available to the broader market.
Advancing best practices in healthcare facilities management
His forward-thinking approach offers a replicable model for hospitals nationwide seeking practical, code-compliant ways to replace outdated or inefficient steam systems while enhancing both resiliency and sustainability.
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