Background The indivudal heating of houses and flats is an important environmental issue for all EU Member States. Domestic heating largely contributes to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO), especially in Central and Northern Europe. While low-temperature exhaust systems for household gas heating have proved to be very efficient, oil heating systems using this technology are still in their infancy and have only just been introduced to the European market. The "porous medium" combustion technology for oil heating systems is the only technology that will be able to fulfil future requirements for low emission and low energy consumption. This technology generates a very clean and homogeneous combustion of the mixture of vaporized oil and air. The porous medium vaporiser significantly reduces the amount of unburnt residues in the vaporiser, and allows for a self-cleaning process. Objectives The aim of the project was to develop a burner system, working for oil burners in a range of 2-20 kW (especially for private households), that offers energy saving of at least 5% compared to the current best available oil-burning technology. The system was also designed to reduce CO emissions to one third of those produced by the current systems and to completely eliminate soot emissions. Additionally, a significant noise reduction and vehigly reduced NOx emissions are expected. These factors, together with its high efficiency homogenous combustion field and high modulation range, would set a new standard in oil combustion. As a result of the project, a modernisation push is expected in a market of 500k oil-condensing boilers inside the EU. This move would lead to a direct integration of the new technology by the main manufacturers and suppliers of oil heating systems in Europe. Results A prototype was produced that is able to run in a power range from 4-20kW. CO emissions are lower than 5mg/kWh and NOx emissions lower than 120mg/kWh. With such a high modulation rate, the number of burner starts can be reduced and so emissions are decreasing as efficiency increases. Further developments to the oil-supply system are necessary to achieve a lower output than 4kW. The prototype is designed to be attachable to every standard oil boilers, and therefore it allows the system to be updated with a new modulating oil burner. Although the vaporiser is designed for operation with standard light fuel oil and diesel, it can also be run on vegetable oils and fuel mixtures. Its application extends beyond domestic heating: It can be used in the automobile industry as well as for particle filter regeneration burners and fuel treatment of liquid fuels in combined heat and power units (CHP) and their subsequent combustion in gas engines. The project also fulfilled its objective to achieve direct integration with the major manufacturers and suppliers of oil heating systems Europe wide. The beneficiary, Promeos, received a national German award for start-up companies, and the technological achievements of the project have received TV, newspaper and magazine coverage. This project has been selected as one of the 22 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2006-2007