A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Charlie Dearman started thinking about getting off the gas grid following the “shock” of the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He’s now installed solar panels, a battery and a heat pump in his east London home and reduced his monthly energy bill to £65 per month.
Shorts – Quick stories
Towie star dies in Majorca in ‘tragic accident’
Jake Hall, 35, was found dead at his rented villa this morning, having sustained serious head injuries from smashed glass, reports claim.
The Civil Guard in Palma are investigating Hall’s death, who was on holiday at the time. Police are said to be investigating the theory that he died after “hitting his head against the glass door”.
No arrests have been made but four men and women who were staying at the hotel have been interviewed.
CULTURE
3 min read
TELEVISION
3 min read
Who was Jake Hall?
The model and footballer shot to fame after appearing on the reality show The Only Way is Essex in 2015, quitting in 2024.
He had a child with fellow reality star Missé Beqiri of The Real House Wives of Cheshire in 2017, and was in an on and off relationship with her. He had a second home in Majorca and often spent time there.
Everything you can and can’t do in a polling station
Heading to the polls for the local elections today? Here’s everything you need to make sure you’re able to vote, and some dos and don’ts for when you get there
Caption: Flaeda the poodle, named after the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, poses for a picture outside a polling station in London, Thursday, May 7, 2026 as she waits for her owner during the UK 2026 local elections.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Photographer: Kirsty Wigglesworth Provider: AP Source: AP Copyright: Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
What do I need to bring?
You must bring photo ID to vote in England
In Scotland and Wales, you won’t need to show ID to vote.
Polling card
You don’t need to bring this with you, but it might speed up the process.
Pen or pencil
These will be provided though you can bring your own if you wish.
NEWS
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Who can I bring with me?
Children are allowed into the polling station with you, though they shouldn’t write on your ballot paper. Pets usually have to be left outside, except assistance dogs,
Caption: A dog named Obi-Wan Kenobi outside the St James Church polling station in Edinburgh as voters arrive to cast their votes in the 2026 Holyrood elections. Picture date: Thursday May 7, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Nick Forbes/PA Wire Photographer: Nick Forbes Provider: Nick Forbes/PA Wire Source: PA Caption: Men and their dogs look at signs outside the polling station at St James Church hall in Inverleith, Edinburgh, as voters start to cast their votes in the 2026 Holyrood elections. Picture date: Thursday May 7, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jane Barlow/PA Wire Photographer: Jane Barlow Provider: Jane Barlow/PA Wire Source: PA
If you are disabled, you can bring someone with you to help you vote as long as they are over 18 – they do not need to be registered to vote. Polling station staff can also help you, and you are allowed to bring your phone into the polling booth as an accessibility aid.
A closer look at the dos and don’ts
The polished glass back is highly reflective, but doesn’t appear to attract as many grubby fingerprints as its rivals (Photo: i)
Taking selfies
Taking a photo or video in the ballot booth is illegal, as your vote is meant to be secret.
Political discussions
Campaigning isn’t allowed so don’t speak about candidates or wear political slogans.
Caption: Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey (centre), MP for Epsom and Ewell, Helen Maguire, and MP for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan, surrounded by supporters during a party rally at Redhill Memorial Park in Surrey, on the last day of campaigning ahead of the local elections on Thursday. Picture date: Wednesday May 6, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire Photographer: Andrew Matthews Provider: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire Source: PA
Nigel Farage with Reform UK candidate Trevor Shonk whilst canvassing for voters ahead of local elections, in Ramsgate, Kent on Thursday (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP)
Drinking
People who have been drinking or are drunk can vote, unless they are disruptive.
Know your rights
You don’t have to vote, so there’s no reason for you to turn up at the polling station if you don’t intend to do so. If you do go, it’s worth knowing that:
You are entitled to spoil your ballot paper, for example by writing a message in protest . This will be recorded.
Don’t put your name on your ballot paper – If you do it won’t be counted as it’s meant to be anonymous
“Tellers” – volunteers on behalf of candidates – will sometimes stand outside polling stations and ask for your polling card number so they can remind people who haven’t voted to do so. You don’t have to give them your information.
Caption: A group of commuter trains sit in a railway siding in London, U.K. Photographer: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg Photographer: Bloomberg Creative Provider: Getty Images/Bloomberg Creative Source: Bloomberg Creative Photos
TRAVEL
Train passengers warned of ‘major disruption’
Train services across southern England are being disrupted by a fault with a radio system. National Rail Enquiries said the issue relates to how train drivers and signallers communicate.
It warned passengers that services may be delayed by up to 45 minutes or cancelled, and “major disruption is expected until the end of the day”.
The services affected
The affected operators are CrossCountry, Gatwick Express, Great Western Railway, London Overground, Southern, South Western Railway (SWR) and Thameslink.
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NEWS
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A closer look at the detail
The incident was reported shortly before 9am on Thursday.
SWR warned that services across its entire network “may be cancelled, delayed by up to 90 minutes or revised”.
The operator advised passengers to consider using buses “while the fault is being investigated”.
TRAVEL
5 min read
news
Two Brits self-isolating after hantavirus outbreak
Caption: Medics escort a patient, second right, evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship with suspected hantavirus infection, to an ambulance after being flown to Schiphol airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Photographer: Peter Dejong Provider: AP Source: AP Copyright: Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Three Britons have now left the ship, as one man with symptoms evacuated in the Netherlands and two having flown home before the outbreak was discovered.
Contact tracing effort launched
Two British people who left the MV Hondius and returned to the UK two weeks ago have been told to self-isolate. Their close contacts are being contacted to let them know the risk.
Three people have died so far from the outbreak on the ship.
Caption: Health workers in protective gear evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship into an ambulance at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) Photographer: Misper Apawu Provider: AP Source: AP Copyright: Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Explained
3 min read
Who is still on the ship?
About 150 people are still on board the cruise ship, which is now docked in the Canary Islands, including 18 British passengers and four crew members.
Hantavirus is the same one that claimed the life last year of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)Caption: A Bombardier Challenger 605 medical plane allegedly carrying some of the people believed to be infected with hantavirus passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, lands at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on May 6, 2026. A plane that left Cape Verde following the evacuation of a cruise ship hit by the hantavirus landed in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 6, while a second flight headed for the Netherlands. (Photo by Lina Selg / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: LINA SELG Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
They are expected to be flown home by chartered plane once it is confirmed they do not have symptoms. They will also be asked to self-isolate to minimise the risk to the public in the UK.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a group of 38 viruses carried by rodents such as rats, mice and voles, most of which can cause disease in humans. Symptoms vary from too mild to be noticed, to severe lung and kidney problems and even death.
It is thought it was brought onto the ship by a Dutch couple who visited a landfill site in Argentina.
Rats are a common source of hantavirus (Photo: Denitsa Kireva/ Getty Images/iStockphoto)Contamination could be caused by the previous presence of a factory, power station, landfill site, a mine or petrol station (Photo: Andrew Newark/Getty Images)
Caption: Martin Anstee one of the suspected hantavirus patients removed from the vessel MV Hondius. Source: Facebook
Former police officer in stable condition
I’m very pleased he’s now in hospital and receiving the treatment he needs.
PROFESSOR ROBIN MAY, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER AT UKHSA
Martin Anstee, 56, was evacuated from the ship in the Netherlands yesterday after becoming ill with the virus. He is now in hospital and his condition is being monitored.
The retailer has become the first in the UK to make a delivery by sky, with a pilot scheme running in Darlington, Country Durham. It hopes to slowly expand the option across the country.
A local farmer let Amazon use his land for test drives, ordering everything he could think of under the designated weight of 5lb (2.2kg) to be delivered.
Exclusive
3 min read
Demand is rising
The certainty is people have never told us they want their stuff slower. This is effectively an autonomous drone that can do what a pilot does in a flight deck. It can do what ground crews do, and it can deliver a package.
Amazon is using its most advanced drone, the MK30, to deliver in Darlington.
At the moment, it only works for those with gardens or backyards for the parcels to be dropped off.
170,000
The number of successful flights completed so far – but more testing is needed before they are approved for UK-wide use.
Drone delivery is already available in five US states.
Why eating eggs five times a week could cut Alzheimer’s risk
People who eat eggs more regularly could have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.
Caption: A detail of cracked egg falling into the pan as woman holds egg shells in both hands. Photographer: SimpleImages Provider: Getty Images Source: Moment RF
What does the study show?
Having eggs at least five times a week suggests a…
27%
lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s, compared with those who rarely or never eat them.
The research followed nearly 40,000 adults aged 65 and over for an average of 15 years.
980,000
People are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK, with Alzheimer’s the most common cause.
This is forecast to rise to 1.4m by 2040 as the population ages.
What’s so special about eggs?
Photographer: Andrew Brookes Provider: Getty Images/Image Source Source: Image Source Copyright: Copyright Andrew Brookes
A no-brainer
Eggs contain choline, which the body uses to make acetylcholine, a chemical involved in memory and learning.
Nutritious and delicious
Eggs contain lutein and zeaxanthin, the yellow-orange pigments in food which could act as antioxidants.
(Photo: Laurie Ambrose/Getty).
Caption: Eggs are seen in a carton on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) Photographer: Jenny Kane Provider: AP Source: AP
Egg-ceptional
They also provide some omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked with cognitive function.
HEALTH
The potential cause of common type of stroke uncovered
Caption: Closeup of elderly Asian man visiting neurologist explaining stroke risk using artery model ??? discussing brain health and blood pressure Photographer: PonyWang Provider: Getty Images Source: E+
Researchers have pinpointed the potential cause of a type of stroke suffered by about 35,000 people in the UK every year.
The discovery could explain why widely used treatments don’t work, and could pave the way for new options.
What does the study say?
Lacunar strokes – triggered by damage to tiny blood vessels – are caused by the widening of arteries in the brain, researchers say.
This is unlike ischaemic strokes, which are caused by a blocked blood vessel.
This could explain why usual treatments, such as anti-platelet drugs, which stop blood clots from forming in the arteries, do not work.
Lacunar strokes can lead to problems with thinking, memory, movement and dementia.
Divorce Diaries
5 min read
New treatments are needed
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the UK Dementia Research Institute tested and tracked 229 people who had a lacunar or mild non-lacunar stroke. Patients with widened arteries were four times more likely to have a lacunar stroke.
Scientists argue that ‘holistic’ approach is needed to brain disease prevention and treatment as the world faces a dramatic rise in cases of stroke, dementia and other conditions. (Photo credit: FRED TANNEAU/AFP/Getty Images)A retired infection control nurse says it isn’t possible to “hand wash” your way out of the quad-demic. She says hospitals need better ventilation and mask wearing to tackle the crisis (Photo: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
This explains why conventional blood-thinners don’t work and highlights the need for new therapies to target the underlying microvascular damage.
Stroke research ‘chronically underfunded’
Stroke research is chronically underfunded, with less than 1% of total UK research funding spent on the condition…Yet these findings illustrate the value of research and the potential it has to change the lives of stroke patients.
MAEVA MAY, STROKE ASSOCIATION
Caption: Embryologist performing embryo cleaning under microscope in Petri plate after IVF next day in real laboratory Photographer: Natalia Lebedinskaia Provider: Getty Images Source: Moment RF Copyright: www.natasha-lebedinskaya.ru
Alzheimer’s can be seen on brain scans (Photo: Tek Image/Getty)
HEALTH
The at-home test that can predict Alzheimer’s risk
Scientists have developed an at-home test which can predict a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study led by the University of Exeter.
It involves a finger-prick blood test and an online brain assessment to help identify people at the highest risk.
How does the test work?
Caption: Cropped shot of young woman using blood test kit at home while doing health check and consultation online. Home finger-prick blood test. Photographer: Oscar Wong Provider: Getty Images Source: Moment RF
Blood test
Finger-prick blood tests look for biomarkers, p-tau217 and GFAP, which have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Online brain tests
Scientists look at the blood test alongside computerised cognitive testing to identify risk.
Students are offered free laptops as an incentive for joining universities (Photo: PA)
Caption: File photo dated 18/05/17 of an elderly man holding a walking stick. Drugs that are said to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease “make no meaningful difference to patients” while increasing the risk of swelling and bleeding in the brain, according to a new review. The effects of the medicines on those with early-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia were “either absent or consistently small”, researchers said. Issue date: Thursday April 16, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Photographer: Joe Giddens Provider: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Source: PA
Prioritise patients
The test results can be used to prioritise high-risk people for further testing and treatment.
At-home tests to ‘revolutionise’ diagnosis
Finger prick blood tests could revolutionise dementia diagnosis – they offer a low cost, scalable way to identify people who may be at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and who should be offered further checks.
DR SHEONA SCALES, ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH UK
Scientists have long been trying to understand the root cause of Alzheimer’s (Photo: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images)
Here’s how his costs have broken down:
Solar
Dearman lives in a 1930s terraced property in Walthamstow. Two years ago he approached neighbours to see if he could convince others to get solar panels, the idea being that they could get a discount from an installer.
“My initial idea was it’s all well and good doing something yourself for the climate, but obviously it’s got to scale. So I thought if you could get three people to do it with you and they inspire three more people then it rolls on like that,” he said.
A group of eight households on his street were able to obtain a discount from an installer, which brought the initial quote for solar panels and a battery on his home down from £10,000 to £7,000. The cost of the solar panels was £4,000 and the battery was £3,000.
Solar panels on the roof of Charlie Dearman’s home in Walthamstow
Dearman has calculated that the value of the energy produced by his solar panels last year was £784. This is a combination of the cash he saved by using solar power instead of buying from the grid, and the money he made selling energy back to the grid.
His household used 61 per cent of the energy it generated and sold the rest back to the grid at a price of 15p/kwh.
Based on this calculation, Dearman will pay off the upfront cost of the solar panels in just over five years.
Battery
Deciding to invest in a battery has “unlocked loads of value”, according to Dearman. Batteries can store the excess solar energy a household generates, which means it can be used at a later point, for example when it gets dark.
Dearman said many people are not aware that batteries can play another important function that is not related to solar: utilising a “time-of-use” tariff, which varies the cost of electricity based on the time of day.
With these tariffs it is typically cheaper to buy energy during off-peak times, such as overnight, or when there is an abundance of renewable energy in the grid, for example on sunny or windy days.
Dearman utilities his battery in the winter by charging it overnight and using the power during peak times. This means electricity costs him around 6p per unit, compared to an average of 25p per unit from the grid.
He also makes sure to charge his electric vehicle when electricity is cheap. Sometimes he even gets paid to use energy; this happens when there is more renewable energy available than the grid can handle.
“The other day it had been windy and sunny so the electricity price was negative. So I put our car on charge that afternoon and was basically paid £4 to charge the car, which is remarkable as a concept,” he said.
Heat pump
After installing solar and a battery, the natural next step for Dearman was a heat pump. He received a £7,500 grant from the Government, which brought the cost down to £5,000. As he was renovating his property and replacing an old boiler anyway, the investment made sense.
It cost him an average of £27 per month to heat his home using the heat pump last year, compared to an equivalent £80 per month on gas.
Dearman said one of the benefits of using a heat pump was that “you have a constantly perfect temperature inside” as they work most efficiently when they are set to run at a stable temperature at all times.
However, one of the downsides was that installation can be disruptive as most people will need to upgrade their radiators as part of the process.
But for Dearman it is worth no longer being at the whims of global fossil fuel prices. “They came and dug up the gas pipe, which was quite satisfying after our heat pump install,” he said.
