A YORK joiner is looking to take homes across the country off the power grid after designing a new roofing system.

David Wilson founded Stealth Roofing Systems and is now looking to take his concept into the production phase after registering his designs.

His roofing system is based on a dorma loft conversion model, which is entirely pre-fabricated off site using solar panels and aluminium.

After first coming up with the idea in 2011, Mr Wilson has developed the designs, and progresses through the Growth Accelerator programme, impressing his mentor Steve Gledhill so much that he has now joined Mr Wilson as Stealth's financial director.

Mr Wilson said: "I've been a joiner for more than 40 years, and after a period in Spain I returned to England looking for work with loft conversions.

"One of my first jobs was over the Christmas and New Year period; it was freezing cold and there were lots of days lost due to the weather.

"Alongside this I started noticing the ugliness of solar panels blighting roof tops. You would look down a street and several houses would have solar panels but they were all arranged differently.

"I thought let's make them aesthetically pleasing and make roof building safer, and more efficient."

Mr Wilson has incorporated rainwater harvesting into the roofing system, alongside a hurricane proof hold down system, and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system which will provide free heating to the property.

As Stealth Roofing Systems progresses towards the production phase it now needs a project to act as proof of concept, which will help the business apply for future funding.

While talks are progression for a trial installation at Easingwold Outdoor Centre, Mr Wilson has also secured support from one of Britain's only solar panel manufacturers Romag, based in Durham, which will be providing the panels and technical help for prototyping.

Mr Wilson has also enlisted Stealth Roofing Systems with City of York Council's Delivery and Innovation Fund, in the hope of securing contracts for existing and new build projects, as well as bus shelter installations to power the new electric bus fleets.

Mr Wilson said: "It's taken a long time to get to this point, but we want to get into production on this now.

"I want to see these roofs all over the country built using our design, and see no reason why they can't be installed all over the world."