The Building Saskatchewan Green conference was in Saskatoon last week. Although I could not attend the entire conference, I did get a chance to attend the Friday luncheon and visit the expo.

I always find the expo to be the most interesting. I feel I can get a sense of what is happening in the market by who is at the expo. The following are some of my observations:

• There were 3-4 solar hot water companies. All of them claim to be very busy. My friend Brent Veitch from Rock Paper Sun is booked up well into the new year.
• A number of booths were offering Photovoltaic options. Prices still are very high for this technology. One provider had an offer for a 2.6KW on gird system for about $26000.
• Affinity Credit Union had a large booth promoting special financing for green residential construction projects. They did not have a lot of detail but advised that I contact one of their many branches.
• SaskPower/SaskEnergy had a booth promoting their loans. Of special interest was a low interest loan of up to $50000 for renewable energy systems such as wind, solar or geothermal.
• WSE Technologies was showing some of their new product lines. They are carrying a number of new products that are worth considering. I am meeting with them in the next few weeks to get a better understanding of their products and services
• At least two Integrated Concrete Form manufacturers were represented. One promised to send me more information on their product. I will be doing a blog on ICFs in the near future
• Rick Olmstead, the inventor of heat exchange ventilation systems had a booth. You may also know Rick as one of the principals in the Rivergreen Ecovillage project.

Sometimes it is interesting to note who was not there:

• Window technology is a very important part of any passive solar strategy. There was no one there from the window manufacturers
• Structured Insulated Panels (SIPs) are being positioned as a green building alternative. No SIPs manufacturers were represented

I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend at the conference. Next year I plan to be there for the full day.