A coke oven includes an oven chamber, an uptake duct in fluid communication with the oven chamber, the uptake duct being configured to receive exhaust gases from the oven chamber, an uptake damper in fluid communication with the uptake duct, the uptake damper being positioned at any one of multiple positions, the uptake damper configured to control an oven draft, an actuator configured to alter the position of the uptake damper between the positions in response to a position instruction, a sensor configured to detect an operating condition of the coke oven, wherein the sensor includes one of a draft sensor, a temperature sensor configured to detect an uptake duct temperature or a sole flue temperature, and an oxygen sensor, and a controller being configured to provide the position instruction to the actuator in response to the operating condition detected by the sensor.