Back when many of Rochester's historic homes were built, times weren't so different. Fuel costs were going through the roof (but then it was coal, instead of gas), and the bills from the energy company were getting higher and higher (but then it was Rochester Gas Light Company instead of Rochester Gas & Electric). Innovative home builders developed crafty ways of dealing with the energy crisis, that historic problem that seems to never go away.

But over time, the construction on these homes has given way to drafts or leaks, and every turn of the thermostat seems to heat or cool the back yard more and more.

With a modern home, you don't need to worry too much about damaging architectural integrity when you slap in some of those expensive vinyl windows, throw in wall insulation, or install more energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Historic homes are different, though. There are a few simple fixes that can help weatherproof that early 20th-century Greek Revival or Queen Anne-style home from the late 1800's, without sacrificing their unique charms.

Plugging the holes

Leaky air hits the usual suspects - recessed lighting near ceiling joists, the areas around windows and doors, and spaces around vents. "Air infiltration is one of the worst sources for losing heat," says Jennifer Ahrens, residential architect and volunteer on the Green Brighton Task Force Education and Code Committees. Caulk, weatherstripping, and spray foam are quick fixes that can seal up these areas. Renters can even reduce their energy bills by using Seal and Peel, a removable caulk that easily peels off, if it means the difference between keeping or losing a security deposit.

Sometimes leaky air is easy to find because the draft is easy to feel, but a blower door test - which uses fans to pinpoint exactly where air escapes - or a home energy audit will find all the culprits. Sealing up the gaps will take a large part of the drafty feel out of the home without changing its original character. Steve Jordan, an old house specialist, recommends reusing or fixing the materials already in the home when possible, and taking cues from the original architect. Try to use the same types of wood, or replace boards and beams with materials that would have been used to build the house originally. Here's a hint: your historic house probably wasn't sided with vinyl, or built with plastic supports.

Window pains

That brings up the issue of replacement windows. Experts say that fixing the leaks around a window and adding a good storm window can be as energy efficient and weatherproof as much as a new vinyl replacement window. "You can improve the performance of old windows so they almost equal the efficiency of new windows," says Jordan.

Katie Comeau, advocacy coordinator at the Landmark Society, says, "storm windows are No. 1." According to Comeau, adding a good storm window - a secondary window that fits snuggly into the frame of an existing window - will reduce cold air's ability to enter a house, and is significantly less costly than total window replacement. And don't forget about the benefits of recycling old materials.

Wait before you insulate

Before you throw insulation in every nook and cranny of your historic home, remember that it also has to "breathe." Interfering with a house's ventilation could lead to paint deterioration and rot, and generally speaking, any other moisture-related issue, according to Jordan.

Jordan estimates that 15 percent to 20 percent of heat loss occurs through the walls of a house. Depending on the study, that leaves 60 percent to 80 percent escaping upward through the roof, while the rest escapes into places like the foundation.

"Heat wants to go up," Comeau says. "If you can't insulate the walls, start between the ceiling of the top floor and the floor of the attic." Jordan adds that insulating the sill cavity - the space just above the foundation - would be a good second step.

Blowing hot and cold

Treat your house like a whole system, complete with built-in heating and cooling methods. Before the days of central air, home builders developed natural heating and cooling methods. Since our winters can be brutal at times, many of the historic homes were built with smaller rooms, plenty of doors that can be shut to contain the colder areas, and chimneys in the central part of the structure - as apposed to many southern homes, which have large covered porches, an open floor plan, and chimneys built on the outside to avoid overheating. Simply controlling which rooms are heated, closing off others, and adjusting the vents so that the bedrooms stay cool during the day can help quite a bit with reducing energy costs and usage, says architect Andrea Rebeck.

 In the summer, the hot, muggy air that knocks the energy out of us can be curbed by keeping a lid on passive heat gain - that's when the sun's radiation converts to heat as it passes through windows. The worst heat gain happens through windows on the west side of a home, Ahrens says. Use overhangs, shutters, and blinds to keep the sun out of windows on the home's south and west sides, especially in the late afternoons.

Cross ventilate by opening windows on all sides of the house, which creates a cross breeze to cool during the summer months. Having plants, vines, or trees near open windows provides cooler, moister air and breezes. Depending on the type of tree outside the home, it can even shade in the summer and block the wind in the winter.

It's the charm of historic homes that make them unique. By utilizing and understanding the original intentions of the architect, and then reusing the materials already in the home, aging houses can once again be well suited to brave the elements of Upstate New York.

"Common sense - it'll put you more in touch with your house and more in touch with what's outside your house," Rebeck says.