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Hawaiian Electric Co. customers will see a new charge on their electrical bills this month that will be used to help finance clean-energy installations for low-income residents.

The new charge — labeled the "Green Infrastructure Fee" — will pay for the state’s Green Energy Market Securitization, or GEMS, program.

The GEMS program is designed to help homeowners, renters and nonprofit organizations who cannot afford the upfront costs of "green" improvements, such as rooftop photovoltaic, or cannot qualify for other financing to pay for green improvements.

For a typical residential customer using 600 kilowatt-hours a month, the Green Infrastructure Fee will be $1.29 per month.

Customers will see little net change on their bills because the new charge is combined with a reduction of the Public Benefits Fund surcharge, the utility said in a press release.

The Public Benefits Fund surcharge is used to pay for the state’s conservation and energy efficiency programs, such as discounts for energy-saving light bulbs and efficient appliances from Hawaii Energy.

The surcharge depends on the number of kilowatt-hours used by the customer.

Currently the typical 600-kilowatt-hour bill has a Public Benefits Fund surcharge of $6 a month, HECO said in an email.

The additional fee will not be offset for customers with rooftop solar because those customers do not contribute to the Public Benefits Fund.

The Green Infrastructure Fee will appear under the listing of "Current Charges: Electric Service" on all Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric and Hawaii Electric Light bills.