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SALT LAKE CITY -- Closing state offices on Fridays--also known as the four-day workweek program--has resulted in a 13 percent reduction in energy use, according to an internal state analysis. Despite that, Gov. Gary Herbert is thinking about returning to the old five-day schedule.
One reason is convenience. The governor wonders if the savings, both in energy and money, justify the impact being closed on Fridays has both on citizens and on other government entities--like cities and counties that routinely deal with state officials.
During the Friday lunch hour, there's usually a steady stream of cars driving up to the DMV in Salt Lake City. But they depart almost as soon as they arrive once they see the "closed" sign.
"I was hoping to get my motorcycle registered today, and I had no idea it was closed Fridays," said Salt Lake City resident Austen Granger.
Holladay resident Steve Chapman said, "I thought it was Mondays they were closed. I knew they were on a four-day work week, but I just picked the wrong day."
"We heard about it, but we didn't know it was effective yet. We thought it was maybe next year," Salt Lake City resident Natalie Tuakalau said.
Now the governor says he's weighing whether to go back to the five-day schedule.
"I think we have come up short of the goals that were originally outlined as far as energy savings. And frankly, from my perspective, the first priority ought to be service to the public," Herbert said.
It's the nation's most expansive four-day workweek program, copied by governments around the country. Seventeen thousand state workers, roughly 20 percent of the total state workforce, made the switch proposed a year ago by former Gov. Jon Huntsman.
The result so far: a 13 percent decrease in overall energy usage in 125 larger buildings. One expert in energy used in buildings, Stanford professor Gil Masters, says that number is impressive and deserves further study for impacts on traffic, air pollution and more.
"I'd say if you got 13 percent savings, you ought to consider that a success," Masters said. "You ought to tout that, ‘This worked. We got 13 percent savings.' That's a good deal.
Herbert says he'll review the data, including surveys of government employees. He says he plans to make a decision about whether to keep the four-day work week by the end of the year.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
