Controls & Operational Strategy9 / 13
VAV Box Control & Duct Static Pressure
How VAV systems modulate to meet zone demands.
9 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026
VAV stands for variable-air-volume. In an all-air HVAC system, VAV boxes are the mechanism that allow different zones to demand different amounts of air (and thus heating/cooling) simultaneously.
In this lesson
- 01How VAV boxes work
- 02The efficiency advantage
- 03VAV control problems
- 04Typical VAV operation
- 05Troubleshooting VAV issues
- 06Sources and further reading