The UK's advertising watchdog has banned two additional “misleading” commercials that promote heat pumps.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has taken action against advertisements from EDF Energy and Aira, two home heating suppliers, a week after banning an Octopus Energy ad that said customers could have a heat pump installed for as low as £500.
The two internet advertisements, according to the ASA, lacked important details regarding the requirements for receiving government funding for the installation of the pumps.
Homeowners who convert from gas boilers to heat pumps can receive subsidies of £7,500 under the government's boiler upgrading program for England and Wales. In Scotland, a comparable initiative is the Home Energy Scotland grant and loan program.
In March, an Aira advertisement appeared on a Meta platform with the following message: "Ditch your gas boiler for an Aira heat pump today … £7,500 grant available.” While EDF’s Google advert in February said: “Get a £7,500 grant – EDF air source heat pumps.”
The watchdog said of both promotions that “the ad gave the impression consumers would be automatically eligible to receive a government grant of £7,500, and it did not make clear the government funding for a heat pump was subject to eligibility”.
It added: “We considered that was material information that should have been included. Because the ad omitted material information, we concluded it was likely to mislead.”
The ASA now mandates that all future heat pump advertisements explicitly indicate grant eligibility and any included government support, in response to a similar ban on an Octopus Energy commercial last week.
This comes as several other advertisements from major brands have been banned this year including M&S, BrewDog and Zara.
Here’s a full list of advertisements banned in 2025 alone.
M&S
A Marks & Spencer (M&S) advertisement was banned in July due to the model's “unhealthily thin” appearance.
The model's stance and the outfit selection, which included “large pointed shoes” that accentuated “the slenderness of her legs” were deemed “irresponsible” by the ASA.
According to the watchdog's ruling, the advertisement cannot be used again in its current form, and M&S must make sure that none of the pictures it uses depict models as being abnormally skinny.
Although the retailer no longer uses the advertisement, it stated in its answer to the advertising regulation that it “responsibly promoted aspirational fashion” and that their women's clothing line is inclusive.
Zara ads featuring ‘Unhealthily Thin’ models
Zara was also targeted for two of its adverts for featuring models who appeared “unhealthily thin”.
One model appeared “gaunt” due to shadows and a slick back bun hairstyle, according to the ASA, while another model's “protruding” collarbones were visible due to the stance and low-cut shirt design.
The watchdog decided that Zara has to make sure all of its photos are "prepared responsibly" and that the "irresponsible" advertisements should not reappear in their existing format.
BrewDog Wingman Beer advert
A BrewDog poster was banned for suggesting that drinking may make boredom, loneliness, or disappointment go away.
The ad for the brewing firm’s Wingman beer, seen in May, featured the headline: “Brewdog. Always Got Your Back”, and added “Some things in life go AWOL – WiFi fails, the weather turns hostile, and your buddy’s ‘five minutes’ turns into a full-scale delay. But Wingman? Wingman stands firm. Always on station, always mission-ready, always got your back. Because every great operation deserves a great Wingman.”
One complaint was reported to the ASA. According to BrewDog, the advertisement did not suggest any kind of comfort, but rather assured dependable quality.
The company stated that it did not think the advertisement hinted or claimed that the beer had any therapeutic or mood-altering effects, nor did it imply that alcohol was a necessity or a top priority in life.
Twix car chase TV advert
A frantic car chase that ended in an accident shaped like a Twix bar was featured in Twix's cinematic ad. Despite the brand's claims that it was imaginary fantasy, the ASA banned it from broadcasting because it seemed to encourage reckless driving.
Heat pump grant adverts by Aira & EDF Energy
Aira and EDF Energy's heat pump commercials have been banned by the UK's ASA.
The advertisements were deemed deceptive since they lacked important details about the requirements for receiving government financing.
Without explicitly stating that the financing was subject to limitations, the £7,500 grant was referenced prominently in both Aira's Meta ad and EDF Energy's Google ad.
The ASA came to the conclusion that consumers would be misled by the removal of this important information, which implied automatic eligibility for the grant.
Octopus Energy heat pump advert
Octopus Energy's advertisement was banned for deceiving customers by claiming that a heat pump could be installed for as little as £500.
The Facebook ad, seen in September, said “Installs from £500” and continued: “The government grant covers up to 90 per cent of the costs of a new heat pump. Replace your old broken boiler with an award-winning energy supplier and help stop our reliance on gas.”
The Energy and Utilities Alliance trade group filed one of the two complaints to the ASA, questioning whether the ad excluded any important information and whether the "installs from £500" claim could be verified.
Octopus informed the ASA that the assertion was not based on the typical cost of heat pumps in the industry, but rather on what their customers would pay.
The advert was deemed deceptive by the court because sales data did not indicate that a sizeable percentage of customers paid £500 for installation at the time the advert was displayed.
According to Octopus Energy, after deducting the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme subsidies, 13.9 per cent of their heat pump clients paid £500 or less.
Disagreeing with the ASA's ruling, the energy business claimed that 13 per cent of sales were at the quoted price and blamed the “fossil fuel lobby” for the complaints.
Next fashion brand advert
An advert by fashion brand Next was banned because the model appeared "unhealthily thin" based on her position and camera angle.
The ASA compared the advert with other photos of the same model and did not think she looked unhealthily thin in those. In the now-banned photograph, however, it was deemed “irresponsible” to highlight the model's slender legs through camera angles, stance, and styling.
Next went on to say that it disapproved of the advertising watchdog's ruling and that the model had a “healthy and toned physique” despite being thin.
The retailer replied to the ASA claiming the 5'9" model's position was chosen “particularly to display the leggings' fit on both straight and bent legs” and that the picture was taken with a “high sense of responsibility” almost two years ago.
Next has been warned that its future advertisements must be “prepared responsibly” and “not portray models as being unhealthily thin” in light of the verdict, which also prohibits the company from showing the advertisement in its current form.
