The title suggests heat tracing of pipes to prevent freezing of the contents, rather than space heating of rooms or areas within a building.
Local thermostatic control adds something else to go wrong and is best avoided due to the fiddle factor and water ingress to the connections.
Control of the whole trace heating installation by a contactor located indoors in the dry works better. Almost every BMS already has an external temperature sensor for optimised start of heating, or disabling of cooling. This can be arranged to energise trace heating when conditions are cold enough to require this.
The title suggests heat tracing of pipes to prevent freezing of the contents, rather than space heating of rooms or areas within a building.
Local thermostatic control adds something else to go wrong and is best avoided due to the fiddle factor and water ingress to the connections.
Control of the whole trace heating installation by a contactor located indoors in the dry works better. Almost every BMS already has an external temperature sensor for optimised start of heating, or disabling of cooling. This can be arranged to energise trace heating when conditions are cold enough to require this.
