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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.