An air conditioning （AC） flexibility potential prediction model was created using EnergyPlus based on the investigation and results of residential AC equipment performance， set temperatures， energy use behavior， and occupant willingness to participate in flexible scheduling. It also took into account the intermittent operation and performance probability of ACs in the hot-summer and cold-winter （HSCW） zones. The flexibility potentials of several AC control strategies， such as load reduction， load interruption， and load shifting， were evaluated， and suitable flexibility control strategies for residential AC systems in HSCW zone were identified. The results show that load reduction during the cooling season and load interruption during the heating season can result in energy conservation and cost reduction without sacrificing thermal comfort. Without taking into account occupant willingness， the daily maximum cooling and heating load peaks of the residential building can be reduced by to 24% and 100% respectively， the operation energy consumption during the peak electricity price periods in the cooling and heating seasons can be reduced by 30% and 83% respectively， and the total operating costs during the periods when the energy consumption changes due to flexible adjustment in the cooling and heating seasons can be reduced by 14% and 42% respectively. If the occupant willingness is taken into account， the daily maximum cooling and heating load peaks can be reduced by 18% and 77% respectively， the operation energy consumption during the peak electricity price periods in the cooling and heating seasons can be reduced by 22% and 64% respectively， and the total operating costs during the periods when the energy consumption changes due to flexible scheduling in the cooling and heating seasons can be reduced by 10% and 33% respectively.