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Variable Air Volume (VAV) is a type of heating, ventilating, and/or air-conditioning (HVAC) system. The simplest VAV system incorporates one supply duct that, when in cooling mode, distributes approximately55 °F (13 °C) supply air.[1] Because the supply air temperature, in this simplest of VAV systems, is constant, the air flow rate must vary to meet the rising and falling heat gains or losses within the thermal zone served.
There are two primary advantages to VAV systems over constant-volume systems. The fan capacity control, especially with modern electronic variable-speed drives, reduces the energy consumed by fans, which can be a substantial part of the total cooling energy requirements of a building. Dehumidification is greater with VAV systems than it is with constant-volume system, which modulate the discharge air temperature to attain part load cooling capacity.
