LITTLE ROCK—Many Arkansas residents will be paying less to heat their homes this winter.

The state’s three largest providers of natural gas filed their annual winter rates with the Arkansas Public Service Commission on Friday.

The average monthly rate will drop about 20 percent at CenterPoint Energy, which provides natural gas to about 430,000 customers in Arkansas, said Alicia Dixon, a company spokeswoman.

“This is good news for consumers,” Dixon said.

A customer using 9,000 cubic feet, which is the average monthly usage at CenterPoint, will pay $104 per month this winter, about 20 percent less than the $129 charged last winter, Dixon said.

The monthly bill for a customer of Arkansas Oklahoma Gas will be $105 this winter, based on using 10,000 cubic feet, said Michael Callan, president of Arkansas Oklahoma Gas. Last winter, an average monthly bill was $135, about 22 percent higher, Callan said.

Arkansas Oklahoma Gas serves about 45,000 customers within a 50-mile radius of Fort Smith.

Rates for Arkansas Western Gas will decline by about 15 percent, said Donna Campbell, director for regulatory affairs at the utility.

An Arkansas Western customer using an average of 10,000 cubic feet of gas in a month will be charged $86, Campbell said, compared with $102 last winter. Arkansas Western serves about 155,000 customers in northwest Arkansas, parts of northeast Arkansas and the Arkansas River valley.

The new rates will go into effect in November.