HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania is one of 19 states that will work with energy engineers from Wal-Mart to find ways to trim the heating, cooling and electricity costs at two state office buildings in Harrisburg and another in Reading.

The deal was arranged by the National Governors Association, which wants to learn from the company's 3-year-old program to reduce energy costs at hundreds of its big-box stores and distribution centers.

Under the agreement, called Greening State Capitols, the governors association decided which states would be first to participate. Others involved include Ohio, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Connecticut.

"This partnership shows that governors are taking steps to help right the wrongs of recent inaction on this critical issue," said Gov. Ed Rendell, who is vice chairman of the national group.

Mr. Rendell, who is pushing several bills to reduce Pennsylvania's dependence on expensive foreign oil, is sometimes mentioned as a potential federal energy secretary if a Democrat wins the White House in November.

He said that while there is "no silver bullet" to solve America's worsening energy crisis, "When we add up all the steps that states and individuals are taking across the country, we can begin to see the start of our energy revolution."

Wal-Mart isn't charging the states or the governors group for its services, but the retailer will likely reap some favorable publicity, which could help offset criticism aimed at the chain in recent years over employee salary and health benefit issues.

The Pennsylvania buildings that Wal-Mart will examine for two days later this year are the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Health and Welfare, several blocks from the Capitol, and the state office building in Reading.

Bruce Stultz, energy management coordinator for the state's General Services Department, welcomed the help from Wal-Mart, but said it's not as if he's just been waiting around for outside experts to show up.

"Making energy improvements in our state-owned buildings is something we started to do in 2005," he said last week.

One building that has seen improvements is the Rachel Carson office building, a block from the Capitol and home to the Department of Environmental Protection.

"We switched out all the [old-style] incandescent lights and replaced them with fluorescent, which are much more energy efficient," he said.

In the bathrooms, "low-flow toilets, which don't use as much water," were installed, Mr. Stultz said. "We are averaging 130,000 fewer gallons of water per month now."

"Window film'' was installed on the inside of the windows, which reduces the heat from the sun entering the building in summer and retains more heat in the winter.

The improvements at the Carson building were recently completed. This March there was a 26 percent reduction in utility costs compared to March 2007, he said.

Other measures include replacing old, single-paned windows with double-paned windows. They have a small air space between the panes and retain heat much better. General Services Department spokesman Ed Myslewicz said when the double-paned windows were installed in February in his office at the Capitol complex, he no longer needed to turn on the heat to stay warm.

General Services handles maintenance, operation and utilities for all state buildings, and Mr. Myslewicz said he'll take whatever advice Wal-Mart wants to give.

"Anything we can do to reduce energy consumption benefits us and the taxpayers," he said.

All told, General Services already has started energy upgrades in 14 state-owned buildings, including the governor's residence, about a mile from the Capitol. Twelve are in Harrisburg and two elsewhere.

At the residence, Mr. Stultz said, eight wells, each 500 feet deep, were drilled and filled with a liquid "that extracts heat from the earth and heats the building." He said electricity and natural gas costs have already been cut by 30 percent with these heat wells.

Wal-Mart's goal, according to spokesman Kory Lundberg, is "to design and build a prototype store that was 25 percent to 30 percent more energy efficient than our stores had been up to that point."

So far, Wal-Mart has seven new "high efficiency" stores in operation. The first three had a 20 percent reduction in energy usage; the next three cut energy use by 25 percent; and the latest store, in Las Vegas, has shown a 45 percent reduction in heating and cooling costs.

The new stores have many skylights in the ceiling, and on sunny days the entire store can be lit with natural light rather than electricity, he said. There also is a much greater usage of compact fluorescent light bulbs, which do cost more than incandescents but last years longer.