Enhancing the Sustainability of a Local Energy Community Through Integration of Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization

The growing demand for sustainable urban development underscores the importance of optimizing the performance of smart buildings in local energy communities (LECs), which are key to reducing environmental impact and enhancing quality of life. This paper introduces a unified sustainability index, offering a comprehensive approach for assessing and improving the environmental, economic, and social performance of the local energy community. The novelty of this paper lies in developing a comprehensive sustainability framework for LECs, integrating energy efficiency, renewable adoption, demand response programs (DRPs), and energy‐sharing, offering a more holistic evaluation compared to prior works that focus on building performance aspects. A numerical study conducted on a local energy community model illustrates the effectiveness of this approach: incorporating energy efficiency, self‐consumption (SC), DRP, and energy sharing strategies leads to a 53.2% sustainability score, significantly outperforming a baseline scenario with 23.0% sustainability. The framework’s application demonstrates how dynamic optimization strategies, supported by adaptive technologies, can continuously enhance sustainability metrics in response to evolving operational conditions. The findings provide actionable insights for architects, energy managers, and policymakers, encouraging the widespread adoption of integrated sustainability strategies in LECs. This work highlights the critical role of advanced technologies and collaborative energy management in achieving long‐term, holistic sustainability goals.