Prototypes of an air-conditioner innovation developed by a man with decades of experience in the business flew off the shelves when first manufactured locally with the help of an auto body shop.

“Every one I made sold,” Stuart Randles, the 59-year-old inventor, said. “Everyone wanted it.”

The Cool Roof is essentially a roof for an air conditioner. It protects the electronics, keeps the rain off the unit and keeps it cool, especially when the sun is beating down.

Mr Randles said that the Cool Roof will extend the life of the air conditioner and improve its operation. It probably also makes the air conditioner more efficient, though he is looking to confirm that with testing.

“You can fry an egg on a unit,” he said of those in the sun without Cool Roof protection.

Originally from Wolverhampton and on the island since 1988, Mr Randles has operated on his own for a decade under the ServiceFirst name, offering refrigeration and air-conditioning support. Before that, he worked for others in the business.

During his career, he has always sought to improve the operation of the units he installs.

One simple innovation is to put them on stilts to keep them drier in humid and rainy Bermuda.

He used the classic Bermuda stepped roof as inspiration for the Cool Roof and made the first units out of fibreglass. They are still in operation around the island, with the first protecting an air conditioner near the Jeffrey and Sons building on North Shore Road.

Mr Randles quickly realised that manufacturing the units on the island did not make much sense, and he had to think bigger.

“Ideally, I wanted to make it locally, but it wasn’t cost effective,” he said.

He was spending $150 on labour for each unit and $100 for materials, the total above his price target of $150.

The answer was to make the product in the United States. He teamed up with a partner, an air-conditioner parts supplier in New Jersey he has been working with for years, and began to develop a proper business.

Mr Randles applied for a patent in the US, and that is pending. When it is issued, he will seek to have the intellectual property recognised globally. He is considering some wind testing to get the Cool Roof certified for hurricanes.

He has also spent $14,000 on a metal die.

“I am going to have to sell a lot of roofs to get my money back,” Mr Randles mused.

Twelve units have been manufactured in the US so far. Six of them are headed to a distributor in New Jersey, and six are headed to Bermuda for sale on the island. These are samples. For the next order, the minimum will be 80.

The product is now made with UV-resistant plastic rather than fibreglass.

“I think I should bring in more, because they would sell,” he said.

Right now, one of his biggest tasks is negotiating duties. He has been told that the product will be tariffed at 26 per cent in Bermuda, but he is arguing that it should be charged at a lower rate because the product helps the environment.