  We consider accretion discs in close binary systems. We show that heating of
a disc at the impact point of the accretion stream contributes significantly to
the local energy budget at its outer edge. As a result the thermal balance
relation between local accretion rate and surface density (the `S-curve')
changes; the critical mass transfer rate above which no dwarf nova outbursts
occur can be up to 40% smaller than without impact heating. Standstills in ZCam
systems thus occur at smaller mass transfer rates than otherwise expected, and
are rather fainter than the peak luminosity during the dwarf nova phase as a
result.
