Not content with the retail partner Tado drafted in to help flog its smart thermostat last year, the company today announced yet another tie-in, this time with energy provider SSE. Any customer of SSE, or its other business guises Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro and SWALEC, can now buy a second-generation Tado thermostat directly from their energy merchant for £199. Until March 26th (or for the first 300 patrons), installation is free, though it'll set you back £90 after this promotional period. You can also rent one of the clever thermostats for £5 a month if you'd prefer, with installation costing £40 in this scenario. Tado will no doubt shift a couple more units with its new friend's help; but with so many competing products and similar alliances around, we reckon Tado having an official Windows Phone app probably does more for the company than any fresh partnership might.