Britain’s advertising regulator has again stepped in over misleading heat pump marketing, banning two more adverts for failing to spell out the rules on government grants.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said promotions from Aira and EDF Energy omitted key details about eligibility for the £7,500 boiler upgrade subsidy.
The ruling comes just a week after a similar ban on Octopus Energy - raising questions over whether the clampdown marks the start of a wider trend.
Why were the ads deemed "misleading"?
According to the ASA, Aira’s advert, seen in March, and EDF’s advert, seen in February, suggested that any homeowner could get a £7,500 grant through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to replace their gas boiler with a heat pump.
In reality, the heat pump grants in England, Wales, and Scotland have strict rules, such as the type of property, the kind of heating system already in place, and the location.
“Our concern was that people could come away thinking this money was guaranteed,” an ASA spokesperson told the Guardian. “Eligibility can vary - and if you leave that out, you risk misleading the public.”
“Because the ads omitted material information, they were likely to mislead,” the ASA said in its ruling.
Heat pump company's react
Aira’s UK chief executive, Chris Collinson, said the company had already updated its messaging.
“We want customers to have the full picture before making such an important investment,” he said. “Our goal is to promote trust in heat pump technology, not oversell it.”
EDF stressed that the ASA had received no direct complaints about its ad but accepted the decision. “We fully support the principle of clear communication,” a spokesperson said. “We’ve made the necessary changes and are committed to getting this right.”
This latest action follows last week’s ban on an Octopus Energy ad that claimed customers could get a heat pump installed for £500 without clearly explaining the terms. Octopus said it accepted the ruling but has also filed a complaint against a British Gas advert making similar price claims.
Are misleading heat pump ads a growing pattern?
The fresh bans follow last week’s ruling against Octopus Energy, whose ad claimed customers could get a heat pump installed for as little as £500 without fully explaining the terms.
That makes three major heat pump adverts banned in under a fortnight. Industry observers say the spate of rulings points to a more aggressive regulatory stance.
With fewer than 100,000 heat pumps installed in UK homes last year - far below the government’s annual target of 600,000 by 2028 - the ASA’s actions may be aimed at ensuring that marketing doesn’t mislead customers about costs or incentives.
