Tempted by those adverts for electric heaters that claim to slash 90% off your bills? You’ll want to read this first

For those looking for a revolutionary solution to the perennial problem of heating your home for less as winter closes in, it’s an advert designed to warm the cockles of your heart.

A British student has designed an electrical heater using a ‘perpetual heating loop’ that uses the Joule-Thomson effect (a theory in physics) to ‘warm space at 90 per cent less cost than conventional heating methods’.

If this sounds too good to be true, this is because it is, sadly, a lot of hot air. The claim appears to have ‘rewritten the laws of physics’, according to one Cambridge professor.

To compound matters, some of these miracle heaters flashing up on social media feeds have actually been branded unsafe by UK charity Electrical Safety First. 

Now a Money Mail investigation has uncovered evidence of a deluge of adverts on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Messenger, peddling such bogus claims.

The adverts promote cheap conventional plug-in electric heaters made in China using dishonest marketing, with a global network of shadowy companies behind them.

Hot air: The claims being made by online firms selling miracle mini heaters appear to have ‘rewritten the laws of physics’, according to one Cambridge professor

In many cases buyers have complained that they have been charged for two or three heaters when they ordered only one and have been unable to return products.

Remarkably, Money Mail uncovered evidence that links several companies with Lithuanian businessmen who are UK based and appear to be able to act with impunity. 

Our investigation comes as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is poised to issue an official warning this week to make sure people think twice before committing to buy.

Nick Hudson, ASA compliance manager, says: ‘We are keen to let people know that with the weather turning colder and the cost of living being a massive issue, they need to be wary about these electrical heaters. They are making claims that just don’t stack up. 

‘We need a wider education among consumers to let them know that they need to investigate the claims surrounding these products.’

The ASA statistics make for depressing reading, with 2,054 of 2,216 adverts identified for 2024-25 using its AI monitoring system deemed to be problematic. 

Although 285 different advertisers were identified, just ten were responsible for around 60 per cent of ads identified as problematic. And just two advertisers were responsible for around 25 per cent of the ads: both based in Romania.

But we discovered a global network of companies that touches Lithuania, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Spain, the US and UK.

The ASA first became aware of these adverts in 2022, as the cost of living crisis began to grip the UK and people were trying to find solutions to rising heating bills.

Ban: In 2023 the Advertising Standards Authority issued rulings against four firms, for plug-in mini heaters that misleadingly implied they saved money

In 2023 it issued rulings against four Dutch, Hong Kong and Spanish firms, for plug-in mini heaters that misleadingly implied they provided cheap heating and saved money. 

These were Ecomm Movadgency, which sold Heater Pro X; Keilini, with its Keilini Portable Heater; Label Products, promoting InstaHeat; and Ecom7 trading as Instacool, selling Heater Pro X. Keilini and InstaHeat were both singled out by Electrical Safety First.

The ASA’s Hudson admitted authorities are faced with a ‘whack a mole’ situation where one miracle product disappears only to be replaced by another. 

One of those companies uncovered by Money Mail is Navathermo, which has promoted itself on YouTube using an advert with a series of incredible claims. 

This uses the backstory of how Jason ‘a clever student from UK, London University’ created a revolutionary new heater ‘using a perpetual heating loop’, which can heat a home in 90 seconds.

Consumers are told that ‘it can warm any space at 90 per cent less cost than conventional heating methods’ using ‘the Joule-Thomson effect’.

But Keith Taber, Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge, calls the costing claims ‘a simple lie’ and one ‘that seems to have rewritten the laws of physics’.

Professor Taber notes that consumers directed to the product web pages will find them stripped of many of ‘the more obviously fraudulent claims’.

He said of the ad on YouTube: ‘The video is in breach of UK law and YouTube should have done due diligence before accepting advertising money for such deliberately dishonest films.’

Navathermo shares almost identical websites, with identical claims, with two other electrical heaters – BlumeHeat and WellHeater, which are all registered to companies in Lithuania.

To complicate matters, they all show customer service numbers in the US, despite no obvious links to the country.

On Trustpilot, one UK WellHeater consumer, Michael Nixon states: ‘They are of poor quality! I plugged one in and within two minutes it was smelling of burning and VERY hot.’

Many also complained they were charged for multiple products, could not return them in the face of a non-existent customer service, could not get a refund and that the heaters are dangerous.

This echoes the warning from Electrical Safety First, which tested Keilini, InstaHeat and HeatPal. All three ‘posed a serious risk of electric shock, with the mains plugs not meeting UK safety standards’.

Lesley Rudd, the chief executive of the group, said: ‘It is callous that these sellers are pushing dangerous products they know are going to be sought after by hard-up households during an energy crisis.

‘Consumers are handing over their hard-earned cash and in exchange are receiving a product that puts their safety at risk.’

WellHeater is registered to UAB Rara Digital, a Lithuanian company, which is owned by a businessman called Domas Vaicius, who UK company records show as a UK resident.

Another Lithuanian company, Uniqor, is the registered owner of Navathermo. Lithuanian company records show the Uniqor owner is Oskaras Brazaitis.

Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta declined Money Mail’s invitation to comment but said it does not allow content that attempts to sell hazardous goods and materials.

It said people can report adverts and posts that are believed to violate its policies.