[HoneyBadger]

It's a good idea to consider your troops, also. If you have cold-blooded troops, for instance, heat is preferrable, no matter what the nation likes, overall. If they get bonuses for fighting in cold weather though (ice armour) then cold scales are good, no matter the other considerations. Usually these will pair up-cold blooded races usually prefer heat, for instance, but you should still be aware of it.

I'll sometimes take Heat 3 with a cold blooded nation that might prefer Heat 1, because not only does it offset the cold bloodedness, it also works as an offensive Dominion against nations like Niefelheim or Caelum.