Washington, D.C. ? After years of relentlessly rising heating bills, homeowners are likely to find some relief this winter. Supplies are plentiful, and prices are falling for natural gas, heating oil and propane.

The cost of natural gas on wholesale markets is about half of what it was last January because of high inventories and the anticipation of record amounts in storage by the time the heating season begins in November.

Gas is the most widely used source of fuel for residential heating in the country, especially across the Midwest.

Fuel oil, which is used heavily in the Northeast, also has seen dramatic price cuts in recent weeks as crude oil prices have declined and inventories of the fuel have increased. Propane prices also have dropped amid substantial supplies, according to the Energy Department.

But government analysts and industry executives cautioned that weather remains an unknown. If the winter turns unusually cold, heating prices again could jump.