I guess you're trying to be clever. We don't know what life is, but I'd argue anything that is strictly equivalent to something you could write on paper (as in

I guess you're trying to be clever. We don't know what life is, but I'd argue anything that is strictly equivalent to something you could write on paper (as in you're not describing it on paper but you're actually doing it) falls outside of anything you can cause distress to. Your example is definitely closer to a "biological" need being denied. But I think it would be denying a pathway to the current flow that would be interfering with some basic need. Seeking lower potential energy is basically what we do, just in a really fancy way, so I wouldn't rule it (cutting off electricity) out as being something different.