At the urging of state workers, Gov. Chris Gregoire has agreed to let hundreds of them in nine state agencies switch to four-day work weeks.

The move -- which means working four 10-hour days instead of five 8-hour days -- is intended to reduce energy use, janitorial costs, and commuting.

Gregoire said she's willing to try it, so long as the agencies can maintain the level of service that taxpayers expect.

The chosen offices include about 650 workers and 260,000 square feet of building space.

Among the other energy-savers being tried in state offices: software that automatically shuts down unused computers.

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