Ceylinco Life’s ‘La Serena’ retirement resort goes green with solar energy

La Serena, Sri Lanka’s first ever retirement resort for senior citizens, is harnessing the power of the sun — an ample resource at its beachfront location in Uswetakeiyawa — to “go green” by generating solar electricity for the national grid with an investment from its owner Ceylinco Life.

The wholly-owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s leading life insurer has just commissioned a 100kW solar power system using its expanse of roofs to generate renewable energy that will contribute significantly to its sustainability credentials.

La Serena’s solar power project, which is in line with Ceylinco Life’s own green mandate and sustainability initiatives, is funded by Ceylinco Life and will enable an offsetting of an estimated 136 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) emissions per year, and lead to shrinking its carbon footprint by 37 tons annually, the Company said.

The 44-unit beach-front retirement resort has installed 4000 square feet of roof-fitted solar panels creating one of the largest solar power systems in the Wattala area.

Built on almost three acres of scenic beachfront land in Uswetakeiyawa, just 14 km north of Colombo, La Serena comprises of 28 single chalets and 16 double chalets. Each living unit has its own living room, dining area, kitchenette, Wi-Fi and Cable TV facilities, and en-suite bathrooms, one for every bedroom, cleverly designed and furnished for optimal use of space – 535 square feet per single bedroom unit and 680 square feet per two bedroom unit.

Ceylinco Life has already implemented a number of measures across its branch network to advance sustainability. These initiatives include constructing eco-friendly branch offices that are solar-powered and setting up rainwater harvesting, wastewater recycling, and energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems in branch buildings owned by the company.

Adjudged the ‘Most Valuable Life Insurance Brand in Sri Lanka’ in 2022 by Brand Finance, Sri Lanka’s Service Brand of the Year by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) in 2021 and the winner of the SLIM Kantar Peoples Award as the Most Popular Life Insurance Company in Sri Lanka for the 16th consecutive year, Ceylinco Life has been the country’s leading life insurer for more than half of the 34 years it has been in existence. Other accolades won in respect of 2021 include the ‘Most Popular Service Provider’ in Sri Lanka’s Life Insurance industry in 2021 by LMD, the ‘Most Valuable Life Insurance Brand’ in Sri Lanka by Brand Finance, one of the 10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka by the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), and one of the 10 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector by Great Place to Work.

Ceylinco Life has close to a million lives covered by active policies and provides innovative life insurance solutions which offer protection while de-risking the goals and ambitions of the Company’s policyholders.