Everybody loves a wood stove. It radiates constant cozy warmth, as opposed to the hot/cold fluctuations of a forced air system. You feel wonderful coming in from the cold, warming hands and forefront beside it, drying wet mittens nearby. Problem is, the area immediately near the stove becomes very hot, while warmth spreads only slowly elsewhere in the house.

I’ve found a great solution: a little fan (Ecofan Plus) that sits atop the back of the stove, and propels the rising hot air forcefully outward. Ingeniously, it creates the electricity to run itself (no plug in or battery!), by exploiting the temperature differential between the fan’s hot base sitting stove top and its cooler upper fins; electrons flow and its motor powers up. (The Canadian manufacturer’s website below explains the thermodynamics.) Zero upkeep, zero running cost, there’s the added plus that the spinning fan’s speed serves as a visual thermostat to tell whether the fire is hot or waning.