The use of thermal sensors is increasing in response to dealing with the problems of the visible light spectrum. These sensors measure the temperature of the object and convert it to some readable output. There is a diverse range of temperature sensors, and different sensors are used for different purposes. The choice of the sensor depends on the cost of the sensor, resolution, and level of accuracy. For instance, an IR camera combined with the RGB sensor can produce better human activity recognition. However, increase the cost of the machine. For some applications, a high resolution is not required and a low-cost sensor can satisfy the need. In this survey, we discuss the employment of thermal sensors in HVAC systems, vehicle, and manufacturing industries as they are heavily used in these industries. We reported the types of available thermal sensors and the sensors commonly used in each industry. This is followed by a comprehensive review of the application-specific methods. In the end, we may say that the selection of the thermal sensor has much importance as well as the choice of the suitable algorithms according to the given conditions to avail the maximum accuracy in our results.