Aitken Spence Hotels recognised as Sri Lanka’s most energy efficient for third consecutive year

Tuesday, 24 December 2013 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Heritance Ahungalla and Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara emerged victorious at the recently concluded Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awards 2013, conducted by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority for private and public sector institutions with the aim of recognising their contribution towards an energy efficient Sri Lanka. Heritance Ahungalla Heritance Ahungalla was awarded the Silver flame award, one of the highest accolades awarded for the conscious commitment made to enhancing energy efficiency practices within the large scale hotel sector. Recognised as Sri Lanka’s first five star beach resort, Heritance Ahungalla is also the first hotel in the world to receive the ISO 50001 certification for Energy Management systems. With the introduction of this Energy Management System, Heritance Ahungalla was able to effectively manage energy consumption without compromising guest comfort. It has enabled the hotel to meet the current and future mandatory energy efficiency targets and requirements of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction legislations and thus given it leverage to emerge as one of Sri Lanka’s most energy efficient hotels. Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara

Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara was awarded a merit award in the large scale hotel category, making it the second year that the resort received recognition for its sustainable energy efficiency practices. The resort created history by being the first hotel in Sri Lanka to enter a Net Metering Agreement using solar photovoltaic as the renewable energy source. In addition, the hotel also managed to reduce its consumption of furnace oil, with the installation of a solar hot water system which is used to pre-heat the water before it is sent to the heat exchanger which acts as a storage for hot water. This reduces the furnace oil consumed by the boiler. The hotel saves 1,417 litres of furnace oil annually thus mitigating its carbon footprint by 4.6 tons. Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara also houses a biogas plant which uses kitchen garbage as the primary source for the production of biogas which is utilised in the herbal preparation unit of the up-scale Ayurveda resort. Continuous commitment recognised The continuous commitment to identify and enhance energy efficiency practices, while demonstrating annual reductions in energy consumption within the chain of resorts has resulted in Heritance Hotels being recognised year on year for its initiatives. In 2011 Heritance Kandalama was awarded the Gold flame award while Heritance Tea Factory won the Silver flame award. Heritance Ayurveda Maha Gedara was recognised for innovative practices to minimise the use of energy and was awarded the Silver flame award in 2012. In addition to the awards won by the resorts, Damitha Jayarathne was awarded a Merit award for Most Outstanding Energy Manager 2013. This award was introduced this year with the aim of recognising the efforts made to improve energy performance, reduce negative environmental impacts through the implementation of energy management plans and through significant improvements made to the quality of the initiatives taken.

National Energy Efficiency Awards The Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awards is a platform that envisages prompting entities to embrace and enact opportunities to conserve energy and contribute to an energy efficient Sri Lanka. “We are truly honoured to have been recognised for the efforts we have taken towards efficient utilisation, conservation and management of energy. From inception to construction, a conscious effort has been made to ensure that sustainable methods are employed. Our hotels operate with a strong, focused commitment towards reducing the environmental footprint associated with the development and operation of a hotel while lending special attention to renewable sources of energy,” said Rohitha Rajaratne, Vice President, Engineering, Aitken Spence Hotels. Sustainable tourism Heritance Hotels and Resorts believe passionately in sustainable tourism and have been very active in engaging both guests and communities in promoting these ethics. The chain of resorts has a comprehensive policy that focuses on the conservation of energy through the use of renewable energy. Heritance Hotels and Resorts aim to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels annually through the implementation of innovative energy efficient practices. Aitken Spence is Sri Lanka’s largest resort operator and the largest international hotel operator in the Maldives. The Group also manages a portfolio of hotels in India and Oman. The company’s premier resorts operate under the brand Heritance.