Creating an eco-friendly home needn’t be as expensive or as time-consuming as you think - there are many cheap energy saving strategies out there.

In celebration of Earth Day many companies have been doing their bit to highlight some easy and inexpensive ways we can save energy.

One company, Mxenergy, a natural gas and electricity supplier in North America, put its mind to coming up with some eco-friendly tips for the home that are so simple we can all act on them now!

As Marjorie Kass, Mxenergy’s managing director said: "Sometimes people have the perception that ‘going green’ is going to cost them a lot of money.

"The truth is there are simple, inexpensive choices we all can make that really do make a difference."

Here’s just a few of their ‘ever so easy to do’ tips:

1 - Switch to energy efficient light bulbs.

Does that seem too much of an effort? Then try....

2 - Turn the lights off.

3 - Use natural light. Open the curtains and blinds, let it flood in.

4 - Only run your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer when full.

5 - Wash clothes in cold water and cut your energy usage by 50%.

6 - Scrape your plates. Scraping rather than rinsing dishes will help conserve water.

7 - Install an energy efficient showerhead. Showers account for the largest amount of home hot water usage.

8 - Lower your thermostat. You will save 3-5% for every 10 degrees you lower the temperature.

9 - Unplug. Your computer, cell phone charger, video game console, and DVD player all drain electricity when not in use.

Marjorie points out: "The wonderful thing about these tips is that they cost the homeowner virtually nothing. Yet each of these choices reduces energy use and pays big environmental dividends."

No excuses please. Your home might not look like the eco-friendly home in our picture, but with all the savings you’ll make you’ll soon be able to build your own.

[Image: Dominic's pics]