Freeze Protection, Heat Trace and Water Main Breaks

Ohio market insight · Weather & resilience

Updated September 27, 2026Ohio Commercial Energy editorial teamHow we review content Book a free 15-min bill review

The short answer

Freeze protection is cheap compared with a burst pipe: keeping vulnerable spaces heated, insulating and sealing around exposed piping, and running controlled heat trace on lines that cannot be kept warm can cost only a few hundred dollars a season in electricity for a modest system, while a single burst can shut down a building. When a municipal water main break cuts your supply, the priorities are different: protect people and property, treat the fire sprinkler system as impaired, shut down water-dependent equipment safely, and follow health-department rules for any food operation until service is restored and lines are flushed.

Where pipes freeze in commercial buildings

Freeze failures cluster in predictable places:

Exterior walls and ceilings near the roof line, especially where air leaks let outside air reach the pipe.
Loading docks, vestibules and stairwells that are unheated or see doors open for long periods.
Fire sprinkler piping in unheated attics, docks and canopies; dry-pipe systems also freeze at low points where condensate collects if auxiliary drains are not emptied.
Vacant or low-use suites where heat has been turned down or off.
Seasonal lines such as hose bibs, irrigation and cooling-tower makeup lines that were not drained.
Rooftop and exposed process piping without insulation or heat trace.

A pipe can freeze in a room that is warm on average if a draft reaches it, so air sealing around penetrations is part of freeze protection.

Heat trace: how much energy it really uses

Electric heat trace keeps pipes above freezing where heating the space is impractical. Commercial self-regulating cables are sold in nominal ratings such as 5, 8 and 12 watts per foot (for example, nVent Raychem's XL-Trace Edge 5XLE, 8XLE and 12XLE), and their output drops as the pipe warms.

Illustrative example (assumptions stated): 400 feet of 5 W/ft cable is at most 2 kW.

Control method	Assumed run time over a 120-day season	Energy	Cost at 11¢/kWh
No control, on 24/7	2,880 hours	up to 5,760 kWh	up to about $634
Ambient-sensing or pipe-sensing controller	800 hours (assumed)	about 1,600 kWh	about $176

Actual use is lower than the uncontrolled ceiling because self-regulating output falls as the pipe warms, but the comparison shows why a controller matters. A 2 kW load running continuously also adds to monthly billing demand. Practical rules:

Use a controller and set it to energize only near freezing conditions.
Insulate over the cable. Heat trace without intact insulation and weatherproof jacketing wastes energy and may not keep the pipe warm.
Test before winter. Check circuit current, ground-fault protection (required by the electrical code for heat-tracing circuits) and alarm contacts.
Put critical circuits on monitored panels so a tripped breaker triggers an alarm, not a flood.

Other freeze protection measures and their energy cost

Hold a minimum temperature. Keep occupied and unoccupied areas at a freeze-safe setting; the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends at least 55°F. The added heating energy is small relative to the risk.
Seal and insulate. Air-seal penetrations near piping and insulate lines in unconditioned spaces.
Open cabinet and ceiling access to let warm air reach pipes on exterior walls during extreme cold.
Drain seasonal lines and remove hoses from exterior bibs.
Monitor. Low-temperature and leak sensors with remote alerts, and automatic shutoff valves on domestic water where appropriate.
Keep sprinkler systems in service. Do not drain or shut off a sprinkler system to prevent freezing without following your fire-protection contractor's impairment procedures.

For pre-winter envelope and HVAC work that reduces freeze risk and heating cost at the same time, see winterizing an Ohio business.

When a water main break cuts service to your building

Confirm the source. Call your water utility to confirm a main break, get an estimated restoration time, and ask whether a boil advisory will follow.
Treat the sprinkler system as impaired. Without water supply, sprinklers cannot operate. Under NFPA 25 impairment procedures, notify the fire department and your insurer, and arrange a fire watch or other measures required by the local fire authority.
Stop food operations as required. Food codes modeled on the FDA Food Code treat an extended interruption of water service as a potential imminent health hazard; food service and processing generally must stop and notify the health department unless an approved alternative water plan is in place.
Protect water-dependent equipment. Boilers, cooling towers, chillers with water-cooled condensers, humidifiers and process equipment need makeup water. Shut them down in a controlled way before they run dry, and keep heat on by other means if you can.
Close restrooms and fixtures that will not work, and plan for occupancy limits.
After restoration, flush lines, clean aerators and strainers, check backflow preventers and water heaters for sediment, and follow any boil-advisory instructions before resuming food or drinking-water use.

When the break is inside your building

Shut off the water at the building main (everyone on each shift should know where it is) and de-energize circuits where water reaches electrical equipment, if it is safe to do so.
Extract before you dry. Removing standing water with pumps and extractors is faster and uses far less energy than evaporating it with dehumidifiers.
Expect a drying-energy bump. Dehumidifiers and air movers run around the clock. Illustrative example: 20 kW of drying equipment for 7 days is 3,360 kWh, and it can set a higher monthly demand.
Mind the tags. A winter water event generally does not change your capacity tag, which Ohio utilities set from load during PJM's summer peak hours, but it can raise that month's billing demand, and some tariffs carry demand ratchets.
Document everything with photos, times, temperatures and interval data for the insurance claim.

For the full event-response sequence, see the cold-snap operating checklist; for how cold snaps affect power prices, see winter price spikes; and for business-continuity planning, see energy resilience and contingency planning.

FAQ

How much does it cost to run heat trace on commercial pipes?

It depends on cable length, rating and controls. As an illustration, 400 feet of 5 W/ft cable is at most 2 kW; run uncontrolled all winter it could use up to about 5,760 kWh, while a controller that energizes it only near freezing can cut that to a fraction.

What temperature should an unoccupied commercial building be kept at in winter?

A common guideline, including from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, is at least 55°F, with extra attention to spaces along exterior walls and near docks.

What should a business do about its fire sprinklers during a water main break?

Treat the system as impaired: notify the fire department and your insurer, and put a fire watch or other required measures in place until water pressure is restored.

Will a winter water leak or drying equipment raise my capacity tag?

Generally no, because capacity tags are set from summer peak-hour load, but the extra load can raise that month's billing demand.