We are looking at a new house that must have had somebody disabled living in it before - because it has a home elevator installedWhile it might be nice to transport laundry baskets or when my elderly mother comes over, I can't imagine I would use it with any frequencyBut what are the downsides of having one of these things? Am I going to take a big hit on my home insurance for this? How often does a home elevator need to be maintained/inspected etcto insure they are safe and unlikely to get stuck? If anybody has actual experience with owning one of these, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
A lot depends on where you liveSome cities and counties require annual inspections and safety certificationsSome require a permit (like with burglar alarms) and charge an annual feeMost are fairly safe and will operate safely without incident for years, however, so it is another way for budget strapped cities to get extra revenue Also, check what your rate per kilowatt hour is in your area and whether you have a smart meterIn some areas they cost a lot to operate, particularly during daytime hoursIn my area, it costs between 1-2 cents per minute (1 cent for low use customers and 2 cents for high use customers per SDGE)But, if you use them a lot they can cause you to go over your baseline allotment and that increases the cost per kilowatt on all of your electricityAnd, just like pools, spas, household vacuum systems they do affect home owner's insurance in that it takes you from a standard to either a deluxe or custom policy.
A lot depends on where you liveSome cities and counties require annual inspections and safety certificationsSome require a permit (like with burglar alarms) and charge an annual feeMost are fairly safe and will operate safely without incident for years, however, so it is another way for budget strapped cities to get extra revenue Also, check what your rate per kilowatt hour is in your area and whether you have a smart meterIn some areas they cost a lot to operate, particularly during daytime hoursIn my area, it costs between 1-2 cents per minute (1 cent for low use customers and 2 cents for high use customers per SDGE)But, if you use them a lot they can cause you to go over your baseline allotment and that increases the cost per kilowatt on all of your electricityAnd, just like pools, spas, household vacuum systems they do affect home owner's insurance in that it takes you from a standard to either a deluxe or custom policy.
