A distributed energy management system for managing a charge rate of an array of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) (140, 500) which are supplied power from a common power source through a shared circuit, comprising: a capacity evaluator (120, 320) located remotely from each of the EVSEs in the array, the capacity evaluator comprising: a sensor for measuring a current at a branch origin of the shared circuit, the current reflecting the current drawn by all loads including the array of EVSEs on the shared circuit, a threshold comparator (122, 322) for comparing the measured current to a capacity utilization threshold for the shared circuit to determine a present current capacity utilization of the shared circuit, and a communication device (124, 324) for transmitting a signal relating to the present current capacity utilization; and the array of EVSEs on the shared circuit, each of the EVSEs comprising: a communication device for receiving the signal from the capacity evaluator, and a controller configured to: control charging of the EVSE at a first charge rate; generate a random variable update interval in each of the EVSEs performing a charging operation on the shared circuit, and initiate adjustment of the first charge rate of the EVSE to a second charge rate after a variable delay defined by the generated random variable update interval based on the present current capacity utilization of the shared circuit, the present current capacity utilization reflecting an availability or unavailability of current capacity on the shared circuit. a capacity evaluator (120, 320) located remotely from each of the EVSEs in the array, the capacity evaluator comprising: a sensor for measuring a current at a branch origin of the shared circuit, the current reflecting the current drawn by all loads including the array of EVSEs on the shared circuit, a threshold comparator (122, 322) for comparing the measured current to a capacity utilization threshold for the shared circuit to determine a present current capacity utilization of the shared circuit, and a communication device (124, 324) for transmitting a signal relating to the present current capacity utilization; and a sensor for measuring a current at a branch origin of the shared circuit, the current reflecting the current drawn by all loads including the array of EVSEs on the shared circuit, a threshold comparator (122, 322) for comparing the measured current to a capacity utilization threshold for the shared circuit to determine a present current capacity utilization of the shared circuit, and a communication device (124, 324) for transmitting a signal relating to the present current capacity utilization; and the array of EVSEs on the shared circuit, each of the EVSEs comprising: a communication device for receiving the signal from the capacity evaluator, and a controller configured to: control charging of the EVSE at a first charge rate; generate a random variable update interval in each of the EVSEs a communication device for receiving the signal from the capacity evaluator, and a controller configured to: control charging of the EVSE at a first charge rate; generate a random variable update interval in each of the EVSEs control charging of the EVSE at a first charge rate; generate a random variable update interval in each of the EVSEs performing a charging operation on the shared circuit, and initiate adjustment of the first charge rate of the EVSE to a second charge rate after a variable delay defined by the generated random variable update interval based on the present current capacity utilization of the shared circuit, the present current capacity utilization reflecting an availability or unavailability of current capacity on the shared circuit.