Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How do I donate?
A:
For a quick and easy way to donate, HEAT has partnered with Crossroads and SimplyGiving to deliver a secure and safe online donation platform. Below is the link to our SimplyGiving site:
https://www.simplygiving.com/heathk
Alternatively, Crossroads accepts cheques and bank transfers. Donations can be directly deposited into the following account:
HSBC
Account name: Crossroads Foundation Limited
Short account name: C INT O/B C F LTD
Account number: 083-284620-001
International Swift code: HSBCHK-HHHKH
Please add a note stating that your donation is directed to HEAT HK. Additionally, please email Crossroads your contact information so they can receipt you. accounts@crossroads.org.hk.
For donations by cheque, you can make a cheque to ‘Crossroads Foundation Ltd’ and post it to the Accounts Department, Crossroads Foundation, 2 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. Please include your contact details so Crossroads can issue a receipt.
For more information, refer to the link below.
https://www.crossroads.org.hk/home/connect/donate-money/how-to-give/
Q: I’d like to donate, but SimplyGiving’s 9% cut is too high. What can I do?"
A:
If you would like to donate but would like to use an alternative method of donation, Crossroads also accepts cheques and bank transfers. Detailed instructions are in the previous question (“How do I donate?”)
Q: Before HEAT purchases the fans, where is my money?
A:
For those who donated via SimplyGiving or by cheque, all funds are with Crossroads Foundation HK, one of HK’s oldest and most reputable charities. For more information, refer to the link below.
https://www.crossroads.org.hk/audited-financials/
For those who donated via in-school fundraising, funds will be stored according to protocol with Mr. Markwick / Mr. Misso-Veness (tentative), due to HEAT’s status as a CAS fundraising project. After in-school fundraising ends, funds will be transferred to Crossroads Foundation HK, up until the fans are purchased shortly before the summer of 2022.
Q: Winter is fast approaching in Hong Kong. Why now?
A:
This is likely the question we are asked the most, which calls into question the necessity of such an initiative given the fact that Hong Kong is getting colder as we enter the winter months.
The fact is, winter may be approaching, but summer will inevitably return. Furthermore, global warming is exacerbating the summer conditions that those living in cage homes have to endure: With both 2020 and 2021 being in the top 10 of Hong Kong’s hottest summers on record (2020 being the hottest), it’s clear that heat stress is a worsening, long-term issue.
Looking towards the long-term, there is no better time to start such an initiative.
Q: Which fans are HEAT going to purchase?
A:
The fan model we have chosen is the TCL TKYT25-21AD. Manufactured by TCL, one of China’s largest and most reputable electronics firms, this model is compact, durable, boasts high-wind speeds and meets international safety standards. For more information regarding our rigorous selection criteria and the specifications of the model itself, see the link below.
Q: Where will the fans from the fan drive be stored?
A:
The fans from our in-school fan drive will be stored in a warehouse at Crossroads HK’s headquarters (near Tuen Mun) until distribution begins. Below is the address:
So Kwun Wat, Castle Peak Rd - So Kwun Wat, 2號香港屯門青山公路2號 Crossroads International, Crossroads Village
Q: How much extra electricity cost will these fans incur?
A:
The standardised price per kWh in Hong Kong is 0.15 USD, and the wattage for our selected fan model is 45 W. Calculating the daily energy consumption, assuming the fan is kept on 16 hours a day (extremely conservative)
(45 W * 16 hours) / 1,000 = 0.72 kWh of daily consumption
Calculating energy consumption during summer (4 months, from late May to October, conservative)
0.72 kWh * 120 days = 86.4 kWh
Calculating total energy cost:
86.7 kWh * 0.15 USD * 7.85 (upper bound for pegged exchange rate, USD->HKD)
= 102 HKD
Over an extremely long summer, if somebody living in a cage home wanted to use our fan for 16 hours a day, they would spend 102 HKD in total.
If they wanted to have our fan on for 24 hours a day, they would spend 153 HKD in total.
Q: How is HEAT going to distribute the fans?
A:
HEAT will distribute through Crossroads, who have extensive experience and networks distributing goods to those living in underprivileged communities (including cage homes) around HK. Fans will arrive at communities in large shipments (likely through box trucks), after which they will be handed out individually.