GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — One neighborhood in Grand Rapids is fed up with frequent power outages after residents lost electricity Wednesday for the second time in 2025 with no weather or damage to the grid to blame. Now, they have questions for Consumers Energy.
“Why are we losing power today?” Daniel Ampulski said, gesturing to a blue, sunny sky. “What do we plan on? How do we plan? Where do we go from here?”
Inside woodtv.com: Consumers Energy power outage map
Daniel Ampulski says Grand Rapids’ Riverside Gardens neighborhood has been plagued by power outages. (July 16, 2025)
Ampulski told News 8 that Wednesday was the second blue-sky day where the neighborhood lost power this year, following more than a dozen such days in 2024. It’s an issue, he says, that dates back to at least 2015 when he moved into Riverside Gardens.
Consumers Energy confirmed to News 8 that it has identified the neighborhood for repeated outages and issued a statement:
Only one state has more weather-related power outages than Michigan
“Following reoccurring outages, Consumers Energy completed targeted improvement projects to enhance service reliability to the area. The reliability enhancements include, undergrounding an overhead power line, installing technology and enhanced line clearing efforts.”
Ampulski acknowledges that 2025 has been better so far, apparently thanks to those improvements. But, he said, the damage to his lifestyle and psyche is done.
“This year has only been two (outages). So, it hasn’t been that bad,” he said. “But we are traumatized by it. When you have a power outage that happens all the time, when it starts again for the season, you get worried about what the future brings. I used to have fish tanks. … We had to get rid of those because of the power. … I work from home, but have to rush into the office like I did today.”
Despite acknowledging the repeated outages and installing improvements, Consumers disputed just how frequent they are. Its records indicate Ampulski’s power hasn’t been out since August 2024. Ampulski said that’s not true, saying he not only lost power Wednesday but also in February.
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That discrepancy could affect these customers’ only avenue for reimbursement. The state mandates that power customers that experience six or more interruptions of at least five minutes over a 12-month span received an at-least $40 credit on their bill. Those credits are now no-longer application-based. Utility companies grant them automatically if a customer qualifies.
Ampulski told News 8 that this year, he’s keeping receipts.
