A method for controlling the heat in an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle with a coolant circuit and actuable devices (14, 26, 32, 40, 44) for influencing the heat balance of the internal combustion engine (10), comprising the steps of recording a coolant temperature and further operating parameters of the internal combustion engine (10) and actuating the actuable devices (14, 26, 32, 40, 44) as a function of the coolant temperature and the further operating parameters of the internal combustion engine (10), in such a manner that an output value for determining a control variable is provided by means of a basic characteristic diagram (80) as a function of the rotational speed and the load on the internal combustion engine, and this output value is corrected by means of a controller as a function of at least one of the coolant temperature and the further operating parameters, wherein the at least one of the coolant temperature and the further operating parameters is controlled in such a manner that at least two output values for determining a control variable for the actuable devices (14, 26, 32, 40, 44) are determined on the basis of at least two different guide variables (TK, TB), the at least two output values are compared and the higher output value is converted into the control variable and transmitted to the actuable devices (14, 26, 32, 40, 44).