ASPIRE AT ONION CREEK RESIDENT GUIDEBOOK
Aspire at Onion Creek Residents,
Welcome to the newest and most modern community in
Onion Creek. We are proud to be able to
provide our residents with modern and efficient facilities and we hope you are
as excited about living in them.
Aspire at Onion Creek was designed and built under
the 2016 Austin Energy Green Building
Multifamily Rating. Below are green
features of the building as well as ways that you can utilize the building to
enhance the sustainable nature of the facility.
Recycling [Updates will be provided once a hauler has been selected. Note, instructions will differ if you have
valet services or chutes as cardboard will need special handling instructions]:
Recycling is an easy way to contribute to
minimizing the proliferation of waste and growth of landfills. Aspire at Onion Creek will provide a valet trash
service where the valet waste company provides bins for every unit in an apartment
community, from which they collect and dispose of every resident’s trash. The valet waste company designates
specific times for residents to leave their trash out before they begin
collection.
Here are some quick
tips for having a great experience with valet waste:
- Make sure all of
your trash is bagged and tied, with no loose items floating around in your
bin.
- Use your designated bin on the
specified days for trash removal.
- Keep your bags under 25 lbs. each.
- Double bag any and all pet waste.
- Know the rules for
your specific valet waste company, including items they will and won’t
accept in and around your bin.
Valet waste is an
undeniably convenient amenity for renters everywhere. It removes the chore-like
aspect of taking out the trash, freeing you up to enjoy your apartment. What
could be more luxurious than that?
If you have any questions please contact __Janelle_____,
at 512-367-9330. The current recycling
program accepts the following items:
-
[Mixed Paper]
o
Newspaper/magazines
o
Home office paper
o
Junk mail/envelopes
o
Catalogs
o
Cardboard (break down and flatten)
-
[Plastic]
o
Plastic soda/water bottles
o
Plastic milk jugs
o
Plastic food containers (with food particles washed
off)
o
Rigid plastic items (#1 thru #7)
-
[Metals]
o
Aluminum cans
o
Tin/Steel cans
-
[Glass]
o
Glass bottles
Battery Recycling
Aspire at Onion Creek has a recycling station for
batteries located at the management office.
Batteries accepted include [alkaline, nickel cadmium (Nicad),
rechargeable, watch, camera, cell phone, lap top and other similar batteries.]
Reduce waste even further:
Stop
unwanted mail:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email
http://stopjunkmail.org/sample/kit.pdf
https://www.catalogchoice.org/
Transportation
Options:
The following alternative transportation options
are available.
Bicycle racks are provided and residents are
encouraged to make use of the wide array of bike lanes and trails provided by
the City of Austin. A map of the bike
routes is available at most local bike shops or route you trip online at Austin
Bicycle Route Map
-
Additionally, five bus stops are available within
three miles for residents to use for longer trips around the city.
o
1st/FM 1626
o
9200 South 1st/Island
o
8707 Vertex/Cattle Baron
o
729 Slaughter East
o
130 Slaughter/Congress
o
128 Slaughter/35
Go to www.capmetro.org for
current routes and schedules.
-
Alternative Transportation Service Apps:
Car
share: Car2Go, ZipCar
Rideshare: Zimride, Carma
Ride
Sourcing: Lyft, Uber, Sidecar
Taxi hailing:
Curb, Flywheel
Real-time
Transit Information: Moovit, NextBus
Multi-modal: RideScout, Citymapper
Bike-sharing: B-Cycle
Green
Building Features
Below are some of the components that contribute to
the energy savings and additional ways that tenants can use the components to
save even more energy.
HVAC (Air
Conditioning/Heating)
-
The HVAC system provides an energy efficient 16
SEER unit for each apartment meaning that every apartment has individual
control over their environment.
Additionally, every apartment has a programmable thermostat.
o
Be sure to adjust the thermostat settings if your
unit will be vacant during vacations, holidays, etc.
o
In the winter, wear a sweater instead of turning up
the heat. In the summer, use the ceiling
fan before turning down the temperature.
o
The thermostats are pre-programmed to follow the
Energy Star recommended schedule:
Lighting
-
[The lighting system throughout most of apartment
and common areas utilizes LED lighting.]
o
Residents are encouraged to create additional
energy savings by turning off lights in any room that is not immediately
occupied. Turning off lights regularly
can save 8%-20% on lighting energy consumption.
o
Keep lights clean.
Why? Dust can cut a bulb’s light
output by 25%.
o
Disposing CFLs.
Like paint, batteries, and other household chemicals, CFLs should be
disposed of properly. DO NOT THROW AWAY
IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD TRASH. Ask the
property manager where the battery and bulb disposal station is located onsite
(if available), or deposit at a hazardous waste facility in your community or
at stores that sell bulbs, such as Home Depot, IKEA, etc.
Ceiling Fans
-
[Every apartment has [Energy Star] ceiling fans in
the living room and bedrooms]. During
the summer, ceiling fans provide air movement that creates a feeling of as much
as a 5 degree temperature drop and reducing the need for more cooling from the
air conditioning system. During the
winter, the ceiling fans can be switched to run in reverse pushing air up
against the ceiling which pushes the hot air at the top of the room down to the
occupied level and reducing the need for heating from the HVAC system.
o
Residents are encouraged to manage energy
consumption by running ceiling fans in immediately occupied rooms and to
setting thermostats to the Energy Star recommended temperatures. Don’t forget to turn the ceiling fans off
when leaving any room.
Appliances
-
The following appliances in each living unit are
Energy Star rated for energy efficiency and/or low-water use, including the [ceiling
fans, washing machines, refrigerators, and/or dishwashers]. Tenants can reduce energy and water usage
with the following tips:
o
Only run washing machines/dryers and dishwashers
with full loads. Partial loads, even
with adjusted settings, waste water and electricity.
o
Wash laundry with cold water, instead of hot. Hot water is only necessary for very dirty
laundry.
o
Keep refrigerators set at the minimum setting
necessary to maintain the proper temperature for food storage. Keep your fridge between 36 and 38 degrees
F. Set your freezer between 0 and 5
degrees F.
o
Limit opening of the doors and avoid leaving the
doors open longer than a few seconds. It
is better to open the door multiple times than to leave it opened for an
extended period.
o
Keep the freezer full. It works more efficiently full than empty.
o
Use the air-dry option on dishwashers.
o
Scrape dishes instead of pre-rinsing them. New dishwashers can clean even heavily soiled
dishes without pre-rinsing them.
o
Use microwaves and crock pots to cook small meals.
o
Keep the inside of your microwave clean. It improves the efficiency of your microwave.
o
Use lids when cooking. They keep steam in and help food cook more
quickly, which saves energy.
The design of the overall building includes water
savings that equates to using 26.3%
less water than the City of Austin requires.
Below are some of the components that contribute to the water-use
savings and additional ways that tenants can use the components to save even
more water.
-
Low-Flow Plumbing Fixtures
o
Low-flow fixtures are installed and are designed to
use less water and be equally functional.
Residents shall refrain from replacing these fixtures.
o
Take short showers.
Why? They use less water than
baths. You pay twice for water. You pay one bill for the cost of the water
itself. Then you pay a second bill for
the cost of heating the water.
o
Report Leaks.
A dripping faucet can cost over $10 a month and a leaky toilet flapper
can also add up fast.
Each living unit is equipped with a ventilation fan
in each kitchen and bathroom and are ducted directly to the exterior of the
building.
-
Residents should utilize the ventilation fan in the
bathroom anytime the shower is used to exhaust heat and humidity directly to
the exterior and reduce the load on the air conditioning system as well as
minimizing humidity damage within the apartment.
In addition to the above items, below are additional passive
design/construction features that contribute to the sustainable nature of the
building.
-
Construction Waste Management – over [xx%] of the
construction waste from the project was recycled and diverted from a landfill.
-
Highly reflective roofing – reflects the sunlight
to reduce the heat transmitted into the building, thus reducing the load on the
air conditioning system.
-
Low VOC paints and coatings – products used for
painting within the building were chosen specifically to ensure that the
fumes/off-gassing is minimal to non-existent to provide the highest level of
indoor air quality.
Vapor Barriers:
Please refrain from installing vapor barriers,
such as wall paper, on exterior walls to prevent mold growth.
Monitor Your Energy Usage: Did you know Austin Energy has
a tiered rate structure? The more you consume, the higher (more expensive) the
rate tiers are that are used to calculate your bill. This tiered rate structure is designed to
encourage energy conservation. The less
you use, the cheaper your power becomes!
Austin Energy has a free app that allows you to monitor your usage and
set up alerts to let you know when you may be entering a new rate tier
online. Follow the link below to register and for more information.
https://austinenergyapp.com:8444/
Community Laundry - The Community offers high efficiency coin operated washing and drying
for tenants conveniently located at the laundry building.
Petiquette: You must clean up after your pets. Bag/trash stations are provided for the dog
run for your convenience. City ordinance
requires you to clean up after your pet and to keep dogs on leashes. Pets are only allowed off-leash in the
dog-run or designated areas of city parks. [Please see and follow the pet rules posted
on the entrance to the Bark Park.]
Practice Good Housekeeping: Deter insects by practicing good housekeeping. Keep
windows and doors closed, and keep food and water in tightly sealed containers.
Please note: Phone number and Website will be determined as
project nears completion.