Temperature and oxygen sensors make cars, furnaces, boilers and scores of other products operate as and maximizing efficiency. So, why hasn’t any North American
manufacturer integrated them into wood stoves yet? Dan McFarland, a stove inventor asked many people in the stove
industry and came up with this list of the 9 most common reasons sensors are
not used:
1. They have put controls on "wood" stoves.
They are
called pellet stoves. 2. They don't need to.
The marketplace is not demanding it, mostly because people don't know the technology is available.
3. It's a new technology.
Wood stove manufacturers are dreadfully slow with adopting new technologies.
4. They don't use wood stoves themselves.
The vast majority of upper management in stove companies don't heat with wood, so they don't understand the benefit of automation.
5. They're not being forced to.
Why add complexity to a product that sells well and requires little support?
6. It's too expensive.
Any new technology starts out in low volumes and is expensive. Stove companies are very cost conscious.
7. They can do the same thing with a bi-metallic spring.
Bi-metallic springs do provide some measure of control.
8. It might require electricity.
There is a perception in the industry that people who heat with wood don't want to plug in their stove.
9. They have other projects to work on, like pellet & gas stoves.
The gas stoves are by far the products that ship in the highest volume, and pellet stoves are growing in volume. Wood stove shipments are flat, so they spend their resources on these other areas. Some manufacturers go years without making any significant changes to their wood stove line.
These 9 reasons are reproduced with permission from and you can can read more about's Dan's automated prototype here. Here are 3 more of our own, for good measure:
10. No incentives from the government.
Unlike in Europe, in America there are no incentives for cleaner and more efficient wood stoves. There is no Energy Star rating or green label equivalent to reward customers for buying, and manufacturers for producing, the cleanest and most efficient products.
11. Not enough efficiency data.
There is little data about actual efficiencies in the
field over the course of a day of heating. Could 70% in the lab be 55% if averaged over the course of a fire?10. No incentives from the government.
Unlike in Europe, in America there are no incentives for cleaner and more efficient wood stoves. There is no Energy Star rating or green label equivalent to reward customers for buying, and manufacturers for producing, the cleanest and most efficient products.
11. Not enough efficiency data.
12. Fuel is still relatively cheap.
Fossil fuels are still relatively cheap and plentiful in the United States, and so is firewood.
Postscript: Since we published this blog in 2013 there has been some progress toward including low cost sensors in stoves in North America and more progress in Europe. Click here for a list of automated stoves on the market in 2025 and how they work.
What do you think of the list? Are we forgetting any reasons why U.S. manufacturers aren't incorporating sensor technology in wood stoves? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also check out our previous coverage of wood stoves and oxygen sensors here.
