Dr. Schuyler Wheeler invented the first electric fan on this day in 1852. He?d be pleased to see his invention today, and how it's affecting today's rising energy bills. Is your air conditioner running a lot these days? Is your electric meter spinning like a top? Here's why whole-house fans have lots of human fans coast to coast. Whole-house fans are often installed in hallway ceilings. They're turned on early in the morning and after sundown to draw cool fresh air into your home through open windows. The air is then drawn up into hot super-heated attics that can get as hot as 150 F on summer days. this forces heat back outdoors through roof vents -- stopping radiant heat through ceilings and walls. Natural cooling with a whole-house fan, instead of air conditioning 24/7, uses only one-tenth the electricity. And that's the On The House tip for today.