Hwam Autopilot and IHS Explained

Hwam Autopilot and IHS optimise burn automatically—managing primary, secondary, and boost air. Discover fuel savings, lower emissions, and consistent room temperatures without constant manual adjustment.

November 26, 2020
By Reece Toscani
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Woodburner Innovations

Smarter Stoves & Better Burns - Meet the Hwam Autopilot and IHS Systems

Danish manufacturer Hwam has been challenging that status quo since the 1970s. Driven by the belief that if efficiency can be achieved in the lab, it should also be possible in the living room, They have developed two pioneering systems: The Hwam Autopilot and IHS (Intelligent Heat System). These technologies transformed how wood stoves burn by minimising user error, improving consistency, and saving fuel.

When it comes to woodburning stoves, the way you manage airflow has a huge impact on performance. Too much air and the logs burn out too quickly; too little and you risk smoke, soot build-up, and wasted energy. Traditionally, the responsibility has always fallen to the user — sliding vents open and closed in the hope of striking the perfect balance.

In this post, we’ll explore how these systems work, what makes them unique, and why Hwam’s technology continues to shape the future of woodburning stoves.

The Problem with Manual Air Controls

Most conventional woodburners rely on manual air controls. This means the user must constantly adjust the vents to balance primary, secondary, and tertiary air supplies at different stages of the burn. In reality, few users do this perfectly.

The result?

Logs burning too fast and needing frequent refuelling.
Incomplete combustion, producing more smoke and particulates.
Efficiency ratings achieved in test labs failing to translate into real-world homes.

For households, this means higher running costs, wasted firewood, and more work. For the environment, it means avoidable emissions. Hwam’s vision was clear: remove human guesswork and let the stove handle combustion automatically.

Hwam Autopilot: Simple, Mechanical Precision

The first breakthrough came with Hwam Autopilot, a fully mechanical system that adjusts airflow automatically without electronics, batteries, or user input.

Here’s how it works:

At ignition, a metal coil inside the firebox expands with rising heat. This triggers a lever system that gradually closes the primary air (fueling ignition) and opens secondary and tertiary air supplies for efficient combustion.
Throughout the burn, the system constantly fine-tunes air distribution based on firebox temperature.
Once established, the fire effectively self-regulates, shifting seamlessly from start-up to sustained burn mode.

The beauty of Autopilot is its simplicity and reliability. There are no visible controls or complex mechanisms — the system is hidden at the rear of the stove, shielded for protection. For users, it means lighting the fire and letting the stove do the rest.

This alone can save up to 40% in firewood consumption compared with a manually adjusted stove.

If you’re interested in getting the most out of your stove, you might also enjoy our guide on overnight burning, which looks at how efficiency plays out in real-world use.

For a broader perspective, take a look at our roundup of the most efficient woodburners currently available. And if you’d like to explore where innovations like Hwam’s Autopilot and IHS might lead the industry, don’t miss our insights on the future of woodburning.

Hwam IHS: The Intelligent Heat System

While Autopilot brought automation to the mechanical level, Hwam engineers saw an opportunity to take things further with IHS (Intelligent Heat System) — a digital revolution for woodburners.

The Intelligent Heat System adds:

Electronic sensors that constantly monitor stove temperature.
Automated air dampers that respond instantly and precisely to changing burn conditions.
Remote control capability via a smartphone app, allowing users to adjust airflow, monitor performance, and even schedule heating times.

IHS refines the principles of Autopilot with enhanced accuracy and responsiveness. Where Autopilot reacts gradually to heat changes, IHS reacts immediately, optimising combustion in real-time. For homeowners, it means more consistent room temperatures, longer burn times per load, and effortless control — whether you’re on the sofa or away from home.

This makes IHS ideal for households who want to blend traditional wood heating with modern smart home convenience.

Real-World Savings: A Crate of Logs a Year

So what difference does all this technology make in practice? Let’s break it down.

Imagine a 10-hour burn cycle where you add two logs at each refuelling:

On a manual stove, you might use around 16 logs in total.
With Autopilot, the same heat output could be achieved with only 10 logs.

That’s a saving of six logs in a single day. Over the course of a 60-day heating season, this equates to around 360 logs — roughly an entire cubic metre crate of firewood.

For households, this isn’t just a cost saving; it’s a matter of convenience and sustainability. Less wood consumed means less chopping, less storage, and fewer emissions per kW of heat delivered.

How Do They Compare to Other Stoves?

On paper, some stoves from other manufacturers might boast higher maximum efficiency ratings. However, these figures are often achieved in tightly controlled test conditions that don’t reflect everyday use.

The key advantage of Hwam’s systems is their ability to replicate laboratory efficiency in real homes, day after day. By automating air supply, Hwam ensures the stove consistently operates at peak performance, regardless of the user’s experience or attention span.

In other words, while competitors may look good in the showroom brochure, Hwam’s real-world performance often proves superior.

The Bigger Picture: What This Means for Woodburning

As governments across Europe introduce stricter standards for stove emissions, innovations like Autopilot and IHS will only grow in importance. Automated combustion systems reduce particulate output, maximise heat from each log, and align with the increasing demand for eco-conscious heating solutions.

Hwam has set the benchmark, and it’s likely that other manufacturers will follow with similar approaches. Whether through mechanical self-regulation or smart digital controls, automation is shaping the future of woodburning stoves — and Hwam’s decades of innovation put them ahead of the curve.

Autopilot or IHS — Which Would You Choose?

Hwam’s Autopilot and Intelligent Heat System both represent groundbreaking approaches to woodburner technology. Autopilot offers simple, fuss-free regulation with no electronics required, while IHS delivers maximum precision and smart home convenience.

Both systems can save you significant amounts of firewood, reduce emissions, and make heating your home easier than ever before.

👉 Which system appeals to you most — the simplicity of Autopilot or the sophistication of IHS? Let us know in the comments below.

See related stories to this one:

Hwam Stoves, Woodburner Technology

Reece Toscani

Reece has over two decades in the fireplace and stove world — testing, reviewing, and occasionally getting covered in soot, all in the name of wood-fired home heating. He cuts through the nonsense, busts the myths, and shares straight-talking advice to help you enjoy your stove without the confusion. From Fireplace Products to Redefining Woodburners, if it burns wood, he’s probably tested it, fixed it, or argued about it. Now, through Woodburner Insights, he shares that experience with the world — both here and on YouTube.