A direct expansion (DX) variable air volume (VAV) air conditioning (A/C) system consists of a VAV air distribution subsystem and a DX refrigeration plant. This paper reports on the development of a representative and complete dynamic mathematical model for the DX VAV A/C system having a variable speed compressor and pressure independent VAV terminals. The model is component based and takes into account the dynamic behaviors of both the DX refrigeration plant and the VAV air distribution subsystem simultaneously. The dynamic model has been developed based on the principles of mass and energy conservation and using correlations describing the operational performance of some of the system's components, which are either field tested or available from manufacturers. An experimental rig has been set up for the DX VAV A/C system, and experimental work has been conducted to obtain the system's responses to the step change of compressor speed. The dynamic model developed was then validated using the experimental data obtained. Steady state and transient responses for five major operating parameters obtained from both the model and the experiment were compared and found to be in good agreement. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.