The present study concerns the simulation of supply-air control in a variable air volume (VAV) system. A stratified lumped thermal model (multi-zone model) is suggested to predict local thermal response of an air-conditioned space. The effects of various thermal parameters such as the cooling system capacity, the thermal mass of air-conditioned space, the time delay of thermal effect, and the building envelope heat transmission are investigated in detail. Further, the influence of control parameters, PI control factor and the sensor location on a VAV system is quantitatively delineated. The results obtained show that the previous homogeneous lumped thermal model (1-zone model) may predict a significantly different thermal response in the air-conditioned space according to the sensor location.