The following section is designed to answer any questions you may have regarding the product groups and how they can be of use to you. The aim is to give a very brief description of each topic, if you would like to know more please click on the "MORE INFORMATION" line below each topic, to open a full page fact sheet which can be printed at A4 size if required.
What are "Green" energy saving products and why should I use them?
"Green" energy saving products are designed to perform exactly the same task as the products they replace, whilst using less electricity. This is both better for the environment and saves the user money. The Ethical Products Direct energy saving range currently consists of low energy lamps and fittings designed to replace standard tungsten filament light bulbs. These new lamps use approximately 20% of the electricity of a normal light bulb to produce the same amount of light, and only need to replaced around once every 5 years (at least 8 times longer than a standard light bulb). This means by replacing all of the light bulbs in your house with low energy lamps, the amount of electricity consumed for lighting will be reduced by 80%. This equates to a saving of £60 to £70 per year, every year, on the electricity bill of an average British home. This saving means that less energy needs to be generated nationally in the UK. Electricity generation produces "greenhouse gases" and other harmful emissions which damage the environment and use up non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels. Therefore, any reduction in the amount of energy required, helps to reduce the polluting effects of electricity generation and preserve the environment. In short, using "Green" energy saving products saves you money and helps to preserve the environment for future generations.
What do Health & Safety products do and why should I use them?
Health and safety products are designed to make the home and workplace a safer environment for you. Simple everyday tasks such as using a computer mouse can cause the painful and debilitating condition of R.S.I. (Repetitive Strain Injury) and the associated condition of C.T.S. (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome). At its most severe, RSI can severely hamper the lives of suffers. They may have to give up playing sports which put pressure on the hand and wrist, driving a car can become painful. In jobs where the hand and wrist are in constant use, they may be forced to give up work altogether. For employers the risk of employees developing RSI within the workplace can lead to compensation claims. In the MORE INFORMATION section following this paragraph details are given of one such case which lead to a £25,000 compensation claim. Ethical Products Direct promotes a range of products designed to prevent, alleviate and reverse these conditions. Other products within this group can also be used to treat burns, sprains, strains and a variety of sports injuries via cold therapy. Using an ice pack, chemical cold pack or other frozen source (frozen peas etc.) provides cold therapy by applying very low temperatures to the surface of the injury. The danger with this approach, is that the temperature may be too low, causing further injury and frostbite. See the article in the
MORE INFORMATION section for details. The new cold therapy products work by drawing heat from the injury, rather than by applying cold, making them safer and milder to use. To sum up, the Ethical Products Direct range of health and safety products aim to prevent the risk of RSI and other injuries and to treat these and conditions when they arise.What are surge and lightning protection products and why should I use them?
Surge and lightning protection products protect your electronic equipment from damaging transients on the electrical mains caused by spikes or surges ("dirty power") and lightning. A lightning strike up to 1/4 of a mile distant from your home, school or office can corrupt computer data and/or damage and destroy electronic equipment. Similarly, the electrical mains supply to your electronic equipment can be effected by spikes or surges on the mains due to "dirty power", or by transients generated within the building itself or the surrounding area. A recent study concluded that 80% of electronic equipment damage or disruption is transient related. Many insurance policies, computer maintenance contracts, service agreements and extended warranties catagorise lightning related damage as an "Act of God" and exclude it from cover. For a fraction of the replacement cost, your electronic equipment can be protected against damage or destruction. For computer users, even a very low level transient can cause the loss or corruption of computer data, this is not only inconvienient but can be very costly to businesses in terms of downtime, disruption and data loss. Therefore, surge and lightning protection products should be used safeguard your electronic and computer equipment from damage and disruption caused by transients. In the MORE INFORMATION section below, you will find a series of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and answers related to these products and applications.