When Central Oregon’s housing market crashed in 2007, Andrew Kuperstein laid off eight workers from his Bend-based Alternative Construction Concepts business.

But in the wake of the recession, Kuperstein switched gears and founded a subsidiary called Spray Foam Insulation.

“We’ve been doing green sustainable construction for years, passive-energy houses and off-grid houses for years,” Kuperstein said. “But when the recession hit, there wasn’t any work, so we had to switch gears and find something else to put food on the table.”

When business dropped off, Kuperstein said his construction company went from around 10 employees down to just him and his wife, Amy, who worked as a design consultant prior to the recession.

Now she keeps the books, answers the phones and helps customers fill out forms for federal energy tax credits and cash incentives available through the Energy Trust of Oregon for energy-efficiency improvements.

Discovery

Kuperstein got the idea for moving into the spray-foam insulation business when the owner of a home he remodeled in 2007 wanted the alternative to standard fiberglass rolled or blown-in insulation.

Kuperstein said spray-foam insulation costs about three times as much to install as standard insulation products. However, he said spray foam can be 30 percent more energy efficient.

When Kuperstein went looking for a spray-foam installation company in 2007, the closest one he could find was in Portland.

“We had to get somebody out of Portland to do the spray foam, but when we saw how well the spray foam sealed that house, we figured that is the answer,” Kuperstein said. “We put everything we had into buying spray-foam equipment and started a new business: Spray Foam Insulation.”

Since Spray Foam Insulation began more than three years ago, the company has slowly grown from one to four employees: Kuperstein himself, Amy, and two insulation spray technicians.

As an Earth Day promotion of the benefits of spray-foam insulation, the Kupersteins donated a green thermal spray and injection foam, using a product called Tripolymer wall insulation.

“The goal of this project was to help a family save money — up to 30 percent per month on heating and electricity expenses,” Kuperstein said.

He said many homes in the Bend area built before 1968 were constructed without insulation in the walls, and little insulation in the ceilings and floors.

Typically a spray-foam retrofit costs from $3,000 to $4,000 for a 1,200- to 1,500-square-foot home with the injection foam technology, Kuperstein said. But prices can vary depending on the size of a home and other factors, he added.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be selected for the foam insulation project,” said Melanie Grace, the homeowner receiving the insulation injection donated by the Kupersteins for Earth Day. “We have known for years we needed to make this upgrade to our home, but it was not in the budget.”

The Kupersteins use a variety of spray-foam products and application systems that vary depending on whether the project is a home or commercial building under construction, a newer home that might be insulated with conventional insulation, or older homes with little insulation.

Kuperstein said he uses bio-based foam insulation products, which are made from soybean oil, caster nut oil or industrial sucrose from sugar beets, instead of petroleum-based foam.

Saving energy

But what really makes the technology green is the energy savings, Kuperstein said.

“With the foam we are closing up the air leaks and closing up the house super tight,” Kuperstein said. “When you do that, you have to mechanically ventilate the building. That allows us to control how much ventilation you have.”

The federal tax credit for insulation and other weatherization improvements is now $500. However, Oregon has several cash-incentive programs for insulation, said Marshall Johnson, residential section manager at Energy Trust of Oregon.

“The good thing is, the Energy Trust (of Oregon) has cash incentives to help people who want to make energy-efficiency upgrades for weatherization,” Johnson said. “(The credits) can be for insulating the attic, walls and floors, or to seal up air leaks, cracks around windows and pipes, and sealing up duct leaks.

“The nice thing about spray-foam insulation is it works very well to seal up duct leaks, cracks around pipes and windows,” Johnson added.

Energy Trust of Oregon credits for spray foam and other insulation enhancements include 25 cents per square foot for attic insulation and 30 cents per square foot for wall or floor insulation, Johnson said.

“If you want to have your home tuned up to achieve peak energy efficiency, we have the home energy star program,” Johnson said.

On the Web

For more information about the cash incentives or contractors certified through the Energy Trust of Oregon, visit www.energytrust.org.