I should have been more specific by stating the difference between a dumb digital thermostat as I was describing, and a truly analog thermostat like the Honeywe

I should have been more specific by stating the difference between a dumb digital thermostat as I was describing, and a truly analog thermostat like the Honeywell T87. A dumb digital thermostat is just a thermocouple and a relay, which you could rig together with very little EE knowledge and a weekend with an Arduino.