The invention relates to a regulation method for an electrical enclosure cooling device, which has a refrigerating machine and a heat pipe arrangement, wherein the method comprises measuring a current internal electrical enclosure temperature and determining a target temperature for the internal electrical enclosure temperature, wherein said internal electrical enclosure temperature and target temperature form input signals of a regulator for actuating the electrical enclosure cooling device, and wherein said regulator outputs a control signal for determining manipulated variables of the refrigerating machine; determining the regulator control signal as a measured variable which is proportional to the respective current required cooling power; measuring the ambient electrical enclosure temperature and determining a respective energy efficiency for the refrigerating machine and the heat pipe arrangement either in the event that the required cooling power is to be provided by the refrigerating machine or in the event that the required cooling power is to be provided by the heat pipe arrangement; and selecting and activating that one of the two coolant circuits that can provide the required cooling power with greater energy efficiency.