Sumintra

Great! Sumintra Solar owner, Anil Babooram, installed our first 3.6 kW system 15 years ago, and we contracted him again to install a new 6.1 kW system when we had to replace our 35-year-old roof shingles. We got three bids from solar installers, and Anil’s was the most reasonable. He also offered to apply the cost to remove our old panels towards the replacement system – a big savings for us. His two excellent crew members clearly knew their stuff. One commented that he always preferred working with Anil (he works for other solar installers, too) because of Anil’s strict attention to the details of a quality installation. We had frustrating delays due to PECO’s turtle-paced response in giving approval, first for the design, and then for the PTO (Permission to Operate), but this was not Anil’s fault. Only after pestering PECO ourselves as the homeowner did they get moving. The system is working beautifully, and we can track production via a phone app. The Sunny Boy inverter that Anil suggested as an option has a two-plug back-up outlet so that during a power outage, we can shift to “in-house generation” and the outlet goes live. We can power a computer, phones, water pump, refrigerator, etc., during daylight hours during outages. This replaces, for us, the need for a battery back-up system or generator. Definitely a cool feature. Anil was responsive to our phone calls throughout the project and is the model of how a small business should operate. He is trustworthy, considerate, and really, really smart. Ask him to give you a bid; you will not be disappointed!

We interviewed three different Solar companies before signing with Sumintra to install our 53 panel, 2 inverter system. We were confident in Anil’s ability to do the job well from our first meeting. He is clearly very knowledgeable, and spends the time to truly design the best system to meet your individual needs/wants. He was the only one of the three companies who was able and willing to answer all of our questions. He was prompt and courteous in explaining everything we needed to know, and has continued to be available for our questions over a year since the installation. We have a really old house, built around 1730, so the job was not straightforward. Our walls are 3 feet of stone and the roof beams were not up to current code, so remedial structural work needed to be done on the beams. Sumintra handled the entire job, remedial structure work and all. It was a professional installation and it shows. We are able to generate enough electricity from the solar system that our electric bills are near zero for the year, including an electric water heater and mostly electric heat.

If you're using Angie's List, chances are you're a careful consumer researching home improvement projects. Having just thoroughly completed that process, I can assure you that Sumintra is a great option for solar panel installation, particularly if you don't plan to finance or lease your installation and you like having all the details of your solar panels. Anil is a well-informed installer and engineer and will find the right solutions for your solar project. He's also refreshingly courteous, responsive, and capable, which are rare qualities in the home improvement marketplace.

Sumintra, although a small outfit, did a great job with my relatively large, roof mounted solar system. Quality and customer service definitely come first with this company even when you are located four and half hours from their headquarters. At the end of my project the electrical inspector from the power company was very impressed, and told me that the quality of work performed on my home stands out from the typical solar systems that he normally sees. Clearly, the company co-founder and lead electrician, Anil Babooram, has a passion for solar and takes great pride in the work that he does. Naturally, a small company can get booked up during the busy season, but the quality and service are worth the wait.

We are now up and running, and on sunny days in winter, we are seeing yields of nearly 50 kWh a day. Weather did not cooperate and the install took substantially more time than estimated, but the crew were determined and completed the task under difficult circumstances.

Sumintra did an outstanding job! Here's a brief summary. During the early stages of requesting web-based proposals from installers for my home solar PV system in northern NJ, I felt that Sumintra differentiated itself through its direct, honest, personalized approach and the knowledge and courtesy of its principal, Anil Babooram. Anil took the time to educate me on various aspects of PV systems, components and installation, answered my questions and even offered information and guidance on things I needed to know or do after installation (technically not part of his job). This approach carried through to his on-site visit, where I noted his diligence, patience and attention to detail. After selecting Sumintra, I was pleased to discover that the contract was concise, simple and straightforward, very easy to deal with. When they arrived to begin installation, it was clear that they weren?t going to simply ?slap it on and be gone? in 3 days. Anil formulated a well-thought-out plan and he and his crew executed it with meticulous attention to detail, using the most durable equipment, constructed/installed with personalized attention to the quality of the work. We benefitted from Anil?s presence on site every day, planning and overseeing the work while doing part of the installation himself. Anil is extremely conscientious and is a pleasure to have around, both personally and professionally; he treated each aspect of our project as if his own professional qualifications and credibility were at stake. His crew was courteous and diligent as well. The high quality of Sumintra?s work was evident in the several unsolicited compliments I received from our local electrician and the building and electrical inspectors who signed off on the completed project. I would not hesitate to recommend Sumintra highly to anyone considering a solar PV installation in the mid-Atlantic region.

Anil drove over an hour each way to provide research as to why our Grumman Solar Hot Water system stopped producing hot water Our system was installed in 1980 and has required only normal maintenance over all these years - end of 2015 stopped producing hot water - even though this system is no longer produced it did not deter this professional from diagnosing the problem, ordering and installing the parts and we again have hot water via Solar Anil was courteous, he kept his appointment arrival times always informed us when on his way. We were very impressed with his dedication to resolving our problem and fixing our system. He provided good service and at a reasonable cost

Our solar array system started reporting a malfunctioning microinverter. After trying to contact the original installer several times I found Sumintra on thumbtack.com. After describing the problem to Anil, he took over and contacted the manufacturer and found that my system was still under warranty so he had them send me the replacement part. Once it arrived he was very patient with my schedule. He arrived and had the replacement installed quickly. He was very friendly, professional and informative about the process. I highly recommend him & would definitely use him in the future.

Anil has been great in keeping our older (1980s vintage) system working well. With this recent repair and others he's always explained exactly what he's doing, and why he's doing it. When we've had a decision to make on repairs he's explained our options clearly. He's not in it to sell us something we don't need. And he's an extremely nice person - and not just faking it for the customer. He's a strong proponent of solar power and because of this I feel he provides great service.

Though these systems seem to always take longer to complete than planned, however! Anil kept us informed on a timely basis. We were more than pleased with his professionalism, expertise and completeness. We would highly recommend him and would hire him again without question.