British Gas rapped over heat pump claims
8th March 2026
UK: British Gas has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using unsubstantiated energy-saving heat pump claims in an advert.
A British Gas online Meta advert, seen in May 2025, included an image of a person standing next to a heat pump with superimposed text stating: “Save up to £546 with a heat pump and our exclusive tariff.”
The caption added: “Upgrade to a low-carbon heat pump and you could save up to £546. Savings based on year 1. T&Cs apply.”
The ASA challenged whether the claim “Save up to £546” was misleading and could be substantiated, and whether the advert omitted material information.
British Gas Services Ltd said that the savings claim was presented as an “up to” figure, which indicated that a significant proportion of consumers were able to achieve that level of saving, rather than suggesting that all would.
The ASA considered that, as the savings claim was based on specific circumstances, which were undisclosed in the ad, the evidence provided did not demonstrate that a saving of £546 could be achieved by a significant proportion of consumers in their first year after installing a heat pump.
The advert was found to have breached CAP Code (edition 12) rules 3.1, 3.3 (misleading advertising), 3.7 (substantiation), 3.9 (qualification), 3.17, 3.22 (prices) and 3.38 (price comparisons).
The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in the form investigated. British Gas Services was advised to ensure they held suitably robust evidence to demonstrate any “up to” savings claims could be achieved by a significant proportion of consumers. The company should also ensure that its adverts included all material information, which included qualifying information about the type of installation, any complexities that the savings claim was dependent upon, or if referenced figures were modelled.
