A safety system for use with a thermoelectric generator is described. The safety system includes a safety switch operatively connected to the thermoelectric generator output. The safety switch has a first state in which the thermoelectric generator can provide a first voltage to a load, and a second state in which the thermoelectric generator cannot output the first voltage to the load and in which the thermoelectric generator can output a second voltage to the load. The second voltage is a non-zero voltage having a magnitude less than the first voltage.