1. An apparatus for controlling peak demand of a resource within a facility, the apparatus comprising: a first control node, disposed within the facility and coupled to a second control node via a demand coordination network, said first control node comprising: a node processor, coupled to a first energy consuming device, configured to transmit sensor data and device status via said demand coordination network for generation of a plurality of run time schedules, and configured to operate said first energy consuming device within an acceptable operating margin to maintain a first local environment by cycling on and off according to said plurality of run time schedules; and a network operations center (NOC), disposed external to the facility, configured to generate said plurality of run time schedules to control the peak demand of the resource, wherein one or more run times start prior to when otherwise required to maintain corresponding local environments, said NOC comprising: a global schedule module, operationally coupled to said first node processor, configured to coordinate run times for said first energy consuming device and a second energy consuming device, wherein coordination is based on a global run time schedule, an adjusted first descriptor set characterizing said first local environment, and an adjusted second descriptor set characterizing a second local environment; and local schedule module, coupled to said global schedule module, configured to direct said first energy consuming device to cycle on and off at appropriate times as a function of a first device actuation schedule provided by said global schedule module.