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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Monday, Oct. 27 Shasta-area natives bring fight for salmon to Ashland Underdog Christofferson holds out hope of upsetting Walden Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 Helman students illustrate kindness, love Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Underdog Christofferson holds out hope of upsetting Walden Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. 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Amy Gehrt: Your vote counts this Election Day Editorial Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' Our View: Cheering Ashland's own Kitzhaber is the better choice Our View: Merkley, with a nudge Our view: Positive about Bates Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the editor Guest opinions Teaching the First Amendment Guest Opinion: Media are part of the pot prohibition problem Wilderness successes could be lost if funding not restored Religion and politics in America City should revise its rules for murals Revels Latest Stories Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Griffin heads to Historic Ashland Armory Best Bets Oct. 23-30 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Theater New plays debut at ANPF Music Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Q&A: Broken Down Guitars The Farr Side: Bryan Adams releases album of influential hits Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU Q&A: Becky Alter Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: ‘Whiplash’ hits high notes Movie review: ‘Birdman,’ Keaton soar Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Get A Life: Let your facial expressions show Portal to freedom and expanded human potential Frank Talk: A little Halloween humor circa 1970 Barry Lewis: The idiot light Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 6 of 7 Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Calendar: Monday, Oct. 27 ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Calendar: Monday, Oct. 27 ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... ASHLAND Nonprofit offers seismic checkups in Rogue Valley By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 11:11 am By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 11:11 am » RELATED CONTENT • Letters to the Editor • Historic downtown faces earthquake risk • Grant to help SOU upgrade science building • Chile quake offers tough lessons for U.S. Pacific coast » Social News When it's time to make aesthetic upgrades to the home, Clean Energy Works hopes homeowners also will consider upgrades for stability during a seismic event and energy efficiency.  "When you're renovating the kitchen, opening up walls, it's the perfect time to look at bolting down the house," says Derek Smith, CEO of CEW. "It's a great way to get the most bang for your buck." The Portland-based CEW is the largest nonprofit home performance provider in the state. The company specializes in energy efficiency upgrades for single-family homes but branched out to include solar energy, radon mitigation and seismic upgrade services in the past six months to transition the company to total home performance. "We look at the house as a system," Smith says. "We want to make the home more comfortable, safe, healthy and with an increased value for homeowners." The seismic upgrade program was piloted in Portland using funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "We learned the technical standards for contractors and how to explain the benefits for homeowners," Smith says. "Our goal is to make a good seismic project easy and affordable."  A seismic upgrade involves a steel bracket connecting the house to the foundation and can cost between $3,000 and $8,000. Smith says that many homes in this part of the country are just set on top of the foundation and can shift off that foundation during a seismic event. Even though CEW only began offering these services in the Rogue Valley in September, homeowners are on-board. Before the program came to Southern Oregon, 300 names were amassed to a waiting list. As of Tuesday, 10 percent had been scheduled for evaluations. Interested homeowners can sign up for a free 100 point performance check at www.cewo.org. The check is performed by a CEW vetted contractor to check things like for air leaks, seismic risk and solar potential. CEW then puts together a package outlining financing options and contractors for the projects. "People really learn a lot about their homes during these checks," Smith says. "More people are understanding the existing risks. Homes are much more comfortable after an upgrade and there's a peace of mind knowing that the home is much safer in an emergency." "Efficiency isn't quite tangible," Stephanie Swanson, CEW's director of marketing, says. "But there's a mindset change in homeowners where they're looking past the counter top to other upgrades. "Our first upgraded home was recently resold. It's something the buyer really was interested in. As we start seeing that turnover, we're going to see that interest from home buyers." The city of Ashland in March discussed mandating seismic upgrades for major remodeling projects, perhaps in excess of $100,000, but the ordinance under discussion would apply only to commercial and multiple-unit residential structures, not single-family homes.  A massive earthquake like those that have occurred every few hundred years along the Cascadia subduction zone off the Oregon coast would topple many structures built prior to 1976, when building codes began including seismic structural safety mandates. Email reporter Ian Hand at [email protected] or call him at 253-722-4071. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/IanHand_DT . By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 11:11 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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