1-wire Power Sensor

[politics123]

I'd like to monitor my power usage in real-time.

I found a couple good resources:
http://www.bwired.nl/Stroom.asp
and
http://www.btinternet.com/~jon00/electmon.shtml

Both took a small IR sensor, converted it to run on a 1-wire network, and then wrote some code to log the data.

Here are my questions:
1) In the US, our digital power meters have a test infrared (IR) counter that flashes once every watt-hour. The european versions seem to flash an LED in the visible spectrum.
-- Is there a 1-wire sensor that can sense infrared light?
-- Since our power meters are outside, can it be made to not get confused by actual sunlight?
-- Can the CLD140 be setup to only detect IR light coming from a single point?

2) What's the quickest path to implementation for someone who isn't so great with a soldering gun? Also, is there a preexisting software package to log counter data to a computer file?

Thanks!

 

[keepersg]

I use a product from Davidge controls that measures the power going to an aparment in our home. They make the interface and software that will connect the meter with your computer and you can actually generate bills from it. You can find their products here:

http://www.ezmeter.com/