Comment Re:So? (Score 1) 557
They're also good at keeping small veggie gardens warm. I live in a part of California that freezes 10-15 days a year, and not all at once. I have a four 50sf raised bed veggie gardens behind my house, and if they're properly tented, I can grow year round (tomatoes, melons, lettuce, zucchini, beans, radish, asparagus, and a half dozen others.) I toss a 60 watt tough duty bulb in a waterproof droplight casing into each of the gardens to keep them warm when the temps drop below freezing, and keep a small 25 watt bulb burning in the gardens when we get sustained temps under 40. A single 60 watt bulb is more than sufficient to keep the garden above freezing, and to keep the plants alive. A single 25 watt bulb generates enough heat to raise the internal temp by 15-20 degrees.
You can't do that with a CFL and dedicated heaters would burn a LOT more power. They would also be very unsafe...a bulb in a water-resistant housing can be used outdoors in the rain...find a space heater that can do the same thing without creating an electrocution risk.