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The Nova Scotia government is looking at switching to a four-day work week in a bid to conserve energy.

Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt said Thursday the idea came up during a brainstorming session at Conserve Nova Scotia, a government agency that encourages people to use energy more efficiently.

“This was one I just put on the table for us to have a quick look at,” he said outside a cabinet meeting.

Mr. Hurlburt said a report is being done on a number of energy-conservation measures and the four-day work week is among them.

“It might sound good on the surface ... but we have to do a full analysis,” he said.

“We're going to do an analysis ... and see if the benefits outweigh the costs.”

Details on how such an arrangement would work could include the government closing on Fridays.

But Mr. Hurlburt said before any decisions are made, there are a number of issues the province's minority Conservative government has to look at, as well as consulting with businesses and unions.

The province is also watching a pilot project in Utah, where the state government is allowing its employees to work 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, as part of a year-long trial of a four-day work week.

“We have very aggressive targets here in the province for greenhouse gas emissions and my job as the minister responsible, we're looking at all options,” said Mr. Hurlburt

“Maybe there would be less vehicles on the highways there would be less power being used in office buildings, but there are a lot of cons to it at the first cut. That's why we have to have an analysis done to see if the pros outweigh the cons.”