What the Energy Transition Means for Small Business Risk, Cost, and Credit Strategy
A structural shift is underway in the U.S. economy—one that is easy to underestimate but increasingly difficult to ignore. Power demand is accelerating at a pace not seen in decades, driven largely by the rapid expansion of AI and data infrastructure. For lenders and risk professionals, this isn’t just an energy story—it’s a credit, cost, and portfolio strategy story.
As highlighted in Experian’s latest Commercial Pulse Report (04.21.2026), electricity demand is entering a new phase of sustained growth. Unlike previous cycles, this surge is not temporary—it is structural, capital-intensive, and poised to reshape the operating environment for small businesses over the long term.
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The New Demand Curve: AI as an Energy Catalyst
The rise of AI is often framed in terms of productivity and innovation. Less discussed is its physical footprint—specifically, the energy required to power it.
Data centers, the backbone of AI infrastructure, are expected to consume more than 600 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030, accounting for over 11% of total U.S. power demand. This represents a dramatic increase in a relatively short period of time.
At the same time, overall electricity demand has already been trending upward. In 2025, U.S. electricity consumption was approximately 11% higher than in 2020, reflecting not just AI growth but broader digitalization across industries.
For small businesses, the implication is straightforward: energy is no longer a stable, background operating expense—it is becoming a dynamic and increasingly material cost driver.
Supply Constraints and the Cost Transmission Effect
While demand is accelerating, supply is struggling to keep pace. The energy sector is undergoing a transition away from traditional fossil fuels toward renewable sources such as wind and solar. While renewables offer faster development timelines, they require significant upfront investment and infrastructure upgrades to scale effectively.
From 2015 through 2024, U.S. utilities invested approximately $1.3 trillion in capital expenditures, with another $1.1 trillion projected through 2029. These investments are critical—but they are not without cost.
Utilities typically recover infrastructure investments through rate increases. As a result, rising capital expenditures are translating directly into higher electricity prices for both consumers and businesses. Since 2021, electricity rates have increased steadily, reflecting the widening gap between demand growth and supply expansion.
For small businesses, this creates a cost-transmission effect: large-scale infrastructure investment at the utility level flows downstream into operating expenses, compressing margins—particularly for energy-intensive industries.
A More Capital-Intensive Sector—and Why That Matters for Credit
From a credit perspective, the electric energy sector presents a distinct and increasingly important profile.
Experian data shows that businesses within the sector are significantly more capital-intensive than the broader market. Average commercial balances per business are roughly four times the cross-industry average, reflecting the scale of investment required to build and maintain energy infrastructure.
Financing structures also differ. The sector relies more heavily on term loans and leases—products aligned with long-duration, asset-heavy investments—than on revolving credit, which is typically used for working capital.
At the same time, demand for credit in the sector has been rising. Credit-active businesses have grown faster than the broader market, and inquiry activity has accelerated, particularly over the past two years.
For lenders, this signals two key dynamics:
- Sustained demand for structured financing products tied to infrastructure and equipment
- Increased exposure to a sector with elevated capital requirements but improving fundamentals
Improving Credit Quality Amid Higher Leverage
One of the more notable trends is that credit quality within the energy sector has improved, even as borrowing remains elevated.
Severe delinquency rates—accounts 90+ days past due—have declined materially and now sit well below the broader market. This suggests that, despite higher leverage and utilization, businesses in the sector are managing their obligations effectively.
This divergence is important. While many sectors have faced rising credit pressure in recent years, the energy sector appears to be strengthening, supported by consistent demand and long-term investment flows.
For risk teams, this creates a more nuanced view of exposure. Higher balances do not necessarily equate to higher risk—particularly in sectors where revenue visibility and demand fundamentals are strong.
The Small Business Impact: Margin Pressure Meets Strategic Adjustment
For small businesses outside the energy sector, the implications are less about opportunity and more about adaptation.
Rising electricity costs are likely to become a persistent headwind. Unlike one-time shocks, this pressure is tied to long-term structural changes in demand and infrastructure investment. As a result, businesses may need to rethink how they manage energy as part of their broader financial strategy.
Key considerations include:
- Pricing strategy: Passing through higher costs where possible without eroding demand
- Expense management: Identifying efficiencies to offset rising utility expenses
- Capital planning: Evaluating investments in energy efficiency or alternative solutions
- Liquidity management: Ensuring sufficient flexibility to absorb cost volatility
For lenders, these dynamics will increasingly show up in credit performance—not necessarily as immediate distress, but as gradual margin compression that can impact repayment capacity over time.
Why This Matters Now
The most important takeaway is that this is not a short-term cycle. The convergence of AI growth, infrastructure investment, and energy transition is creating a durable shift in both cost structures and credit demand.
Energy is becoming a strategic variable—one that influences everything from operating margins to borrowing needs.
For CROs and risk leaders, this reinforces the importance of:
- Monitoring sector-specific cost pressures
- Incorporating energy exposure into risk models
- Understanding capital intensity differences across industries
- Leveraging data-driven insights to identify emerging opportunities and risks
The energy sector itself may present attractive lending opportunities, given its strong demand outlook and improving credit profile. At the same time, rising energy costs will act as a secondary pressure across portfolios, particularly among small and mid-sized businesses.
Final Thought
Power demand is no longer just an infrastructure story—it’s a credit story.
As AI continues to scale and the energy transition accelerates, the effects will ripple across industries, balance sheets, and lending strategies. Those who understand these dynamics early will be better positioned to manage risk, identify opportunity, and support small businesses navigating an increasingly complex cost environment.
Learn more
- ✔ Visit our Commercial Insights Hub for in-depth reports and expert analysis.
- ✔ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular updates on small business trends.
- ✔ Connect with your Experian account team to explore how data-driven insights can help your business grow.
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The U.S. small business landscape is undergoing a structural transformation — and commercial lenders may need to rethink what a “small business borrower” looks like. According to Experian’s May 26th, 2026 Commercial Pulse Report, new business formations remain at historically elevated levels, averaging approximately 450,000 per month since the pandemic. That pace represents a 54% increase compared to pre-pandemic averages from 2018 and 2019. Watch the Commercial Pulse Update According to Experian’s latest Commercial Pulse Report, new business formations remain at historically elevated levels, averaging approximately 450,000 per month since the pandemic. That pace represents a 54% increase compared to pre-pandemic averages from 2018 and 2019. But perhaps more importantly, the composition of those businesses has changed dramatically. In early 2026, approximately 93% of newly formed businesses were sole proprietorships, up from 85% in 2018. Many of these businesses have no employees, limited operating history, and different borrowing behaviors than the traditional small businesses lenders historically underwrote. That shift is creating a fundamentally different commercial credit environment. A Different Kind of Small Business Owner Historically, many small business lending models were designed around businesses with employees, established operations, recurring revenue streams, and longer credit histories. Today’s wave of new businesses often looks very different. Many newer firms are being launched by individuals pursuing consulting work, freelance opportunities, side businesses, creator-economy income streams, or post-retirement self-employment. These businesses may operate leaner, carry lower fixed costs, and rely more heavily on revolving credit products rather than traditional financing structures. In many cases, the business owner and the business itself are financially intertwined. That evolution matters because underwriting a sole proprietor is not the same as underwriting a mature operating company. The rise in sole proprietorships is being driven by several long-term labor force and demographic trends now reshaping the U.S. economy. Demographic Shifts Are Driving Entrepreneurship One of the most important forces behind the surge in sole proprietorships is the aging U.S. population. By 2050, individuals aged 55 and older are projected to represent nearly 40% of the total U.S. population. At the same time, Americans are increasingly working later in life. Labor force participation among older workers has steadily increased over the past two decades, while participation among younger workers has trended lower. Retirement itself is also evolving. Many retirees are no longer fully exiting the workforce. Instead, they are remaining economically active through part-time consulting, contract work, side businesses, and self-employment arrangements. According to research highlighted in Experian’s report, 59% of workers expect to continue working during retirement, while 61% of recent retirees express interest in continued employment. These trends are contributing to a growing segment of “microbusinesses” — businesses with few or no employees operating primarily around the skills, experience, or services of an individual owner. At the same time, broader workplace dynamics are also influencing entrepreneurial activity. Employee Engagement Is Falling According to Gallup, employee engagement in the U.S. and Canada declined to 31% in 2025, down from post-pandemic highs. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy nearly $10 trillion in lost productivity. Younger workers in particular appear increasingly affected by workplace stress, burnout, and changing expectations around flexibility and career mobility. As a result, more individuals may be pursuing alternative work arrangements, independent income streams, or self-employment opportunities. The side-hustle economy continues to expand as well. A recent PYMNTS study found that nearly 20% of workers engaged in regular side work during the previous six months. Collectively, these labor force dynamics are reshaping not only how Americans work, but also how small businesses are formed, financed, and evaluated from a credit perspective. Commercial Credit Usage Looks Different Experian data shows meaningful differences in how smaller and larger businesses use commercial credit. Smaller businesses and sole proprietors rely more heavily on commercial credit cards, while larger firms tend to utilize a broader mix of leases, lines of credit, and term loans. Businesses with four or fewer employees received average commercial card credit lines of roughly $8,900 in 2025. By comparison, businesses with more than 100 employees averaged approximately $29,500 in new commercial card credit lines. Even when loan origination rates appear similar across business sizes, loan amounts differ substantially. Businesses with fewer than four employees averaged approximately $119,000 in term loan originations, while larger businesses averaged closer to $268,000. Risk performance differs as well. Larger firms generally continue to demonstrate lower delinquency rates and stronger commercial credit scores, reflecting greater operational scale, more established financial histories, and broader access to capital. Why Risk Models May Need to Evolve For lenders, these shifts present both opportunity and complexity. The surge in new business formation creates potential growth opportunities across commercial credit markets. However, many of today’s borrowers may not fit historical underwriting assumptions. Traditional business risk models often relied heavily on factors associated with mature operating businesses — payroll size, years in business, trade depth, and established commercial borrowing history. Today’s newer firms may instead require a more blended view of risk that incorporates both commercial and consumer-level behaviors, cash flow dynamics, and alternative indicators of financial stability. As sole proprietors and microbusinesses continue to account for a growing share of the small business economy, lenders may need to remain agile in balancing portfolio growth with disciplined underwriting and risk management strategies. The definition of “small business” is evolving — and commercial risk models may need to evolve alongside it. Learn more ✔ Visit our Commercial Insights Hub for in-depth reports and expert analysis. ✔ Subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular updates on small business trends. ✔ Connect with your Experian account team to explore how data-driven insights can help your business grow. Download the Commercial Pulse Report Visit Commercial Insights Hub Related Posts
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