A method for predicting the reactive power needs (or other power characteristic needs) for a plurality of customer circuits on an intermediate circuit operably connected to the grid by averaging measurements of utility power characteristics (such as power factor, frequency, and voltage) from a plurality of energy management controllers (or other measuring devices) connected to said customer circuits so that the utility or other grid participant can tailor its power output to meet active and reactive power needs (or other power characteristic needs) to improve transmission efficiency, increase capacity and avoid voltage fluctuations.