La Plata’s old-fashioned street lamps are getting new technology, beginning next week in the Steeplechase neighborhood.
The town is working with the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) to convert its street lighting to energy-efficient LED fixtures. The first neighborhood conversion begins in Steeplechase the first week of October, and SMECO expects the work to take about a week.
Crews will replace only the light fixtures. The existing poles will stay in place. SMECO crews in uniform and clearly marked SMECO vehicles will do the work, and residents may see them throughout the neighborhood during the conversion.
Why the lights are changing
La Plata gets street light service from SMECO for about 80 decorative Acuity “Washington Post” fixtures, along with other street lights around town. Those fixtures use high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, an older technology that the lighting industry has been phasing out in favor of LEDs. The Washington Post HID model has not been made since June 2022, according to the town.
SMECO revised its street lighting tariff in 2022, replacing its HID options with a range of LED fixtures. None of those was an exact match for La Plata’s decorative lamps. The town has worked with SMECO to find LED fixtures that keep the look and character of La Plata’s neighborhoods. For Steeplechase, the town chose a colonial-style LED fixture.
Under SMECO’s current approach, existing HID fixtures are repaired with available parts when possible. When a fixture can’t be repaired, it is replaced with the closest-matching LED option. SMECO also offers proactive upgrades, including larger neighborhood-wide conversions like the one planned for Steeplechase, depending on fixture availability and crew schedules.
What LEDs offer
LED street lights are 50% to 70% more energy efficient than older fixtures while providing equal or better light, according to the Maryland Energy Administration. The agency found that street lighting can take up as much as 40% of a local government’s electricity budget, which has made LED conversions a common cost-saving move for Maryland towns.
SMECO is a nonprofit, member-owned cooperative founded in 1937 and headquartered in Hughesville. It serves customers in Charles, St. Mary’s, Calvert and southern Prince George’s counties.
More neighborhoods to come
The town calls the Steeplechase project the next step in a broader effort to modernize its street lighting. It will keep coordinating with SMECO on other areas of La Plata and will update residents as more conversions are scheduled.
