There are many different ways to go about creating and planning a bio-home (or eco-home). You could build one from the ground up, using eco-friendly materials and customizing everything. You could make your home more environmental friendly through several different means, saving money and the environment at the same time.

One of the best ways to make your current home eco-friendly is through heat-management. Insulate your walls, double-glaze your windows, and installing a smartmeter are all ways to help reduce your carbon footprint and save you money on your heating bills. Heat is commonly one of the biggest draws in energy consumtion, and can increase your carbon footprint by a significant amount.

Another good way to go bio-friendly and save some money is installing solar panels. They help provide clean energy for your home, and sometimes produce enough energy to sell power back to the grid. They may be a long-term investment, but they are an important step in going green and helping to make the world a better place.

Maybe you're not looking to green-ify your own home, but looking to build an entirely new one. That's a different sort of projects, with more drawbacks but also a large gain. The first thing you need to do is find out where you want to build. Zoning laws play a part in this, and so does the sun. When installing solar panels, you want to know where the sun would hit on your property in order to get the most from them. Also, the direction your house faces can play a part in where you choose. It is preferred to have the back of the house facing south, to have sun to warm up the family areas while keeping direct sunlight from the windows.

You can also go green by using recycled materials, building and insulating with materials that use discarded items that decay in harmful ways. There are many resources out there to help you find out what's best for you; all you have to do is look! There are eco-friendly insulations and recycled materials that are used for walls. Not to mention all of the previously mentioned ways to reduce your footprint.