State officials will evaluate the program after a year and decide whether to extend it.

Because of the downturn in the economy and $4-a-gallon gasoline, many states are looking at cost-saving measures, including expanded telecommuting, compressed workweeks and more flexible schedules.

“Everyone’s going to keep a close eye on it and see what happens in Utah and whether they can demonstrate employee effectiveness and the energy savings, too,” said Leslie Scott, executive director of the National Association of State Personnel Executives, based in Lexington, Ky.

Many Utah state offices will extend their hours and stay open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. so people can use government services before or after work. And residents are being encouraged to use the Internet for hundreds of ordinary services, such as automobile registration renewals.

As for such things as hazardous spills and calls from Medicaid recipients who need approval for medical procedures, “certainly there are people who are on call 24-7 now, and those people will continue to be on call 24-7,” the governor’s spokeswoman said.

Natalie Smith, 38, who works on a state arthritis program, supports the governor’s push to make government more environmentally friendly, but said the change will mean juggling schedules with her husband to take care of their two young children.

“We’re not exactly sure how we’re going to do it,” she said. But she added that it will be nice to have Fridays to visit the library or the zoo or run errands.

Debra McBride, a Medicaid specialist who has been working four 10-hour shifts a week for about 20 years, said it is harder to make doctor’s appointments and do other errands Monday through Thursday, and working longer hours can be rough.

“After working 10 hours in a day,” she said, “I don’t do anything after I get home.”