Vast increase in the amount of data SL uses

I have noticed that since 1.9 my internet data allowance has been being chewed through very heavily. As I don't tend to do much else with internet other than play SL and read the forums, I was suspecting that it had to be due to SL.

Today being the start of the new month (day is almost over here), I have been able to get a very clear picture of the exact amount of data SL has used.

This is the log from my data monitor:
01/04/2006 6:55:22 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 426MB(4%)
01/04/2006 6:40:22 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 419MB(3%)
01/04/2006 6:25:27 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 404MB(3%)
01/04/2006 6:10:22 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 397MB(3%)
01/04/2006 5:55:22 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 388MB(3%)
01/04/2006 5:40:26 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 375MB(3%)
01/04/2006 5:25:27 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 369MB(3%)
01/04/2006 5:10:23 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 354MB(3%)
01/04/2006 4:55:23 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 347MB(3%)
01/04/2006 4:40:31 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 325MB(3%)
01/04/2006 4:25:23 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 314MB(3%)
01/04/2006 4:10:42 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 288MB(2%)
01/04/2006 3:55:30 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 279MB(2%)
01/04/2006 3:40:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 266MB(2%)
01/04/2006 3:25:22 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 254MB(2%)
01/04/2006 3:10:30 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 239MB(2%)
01/04/2006 2:56:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 239MB(2%)
01/04/2006 2:41:29 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 218MB(2%)
01/04/2006 2:26:26 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 210MB(2%)
01/04/2006 2:11:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 191MB(2%)
01/04/2006 1:56:31 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 184MB(2%)
01/04/2006 1:41:30 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 165MB(1%)
01/04/2006 1:26:30 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 153MB(1%)
01/04/2006 1:11:34 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 123MB(1%)
01/04/2006 12:56:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 117MB(1%)
01/04/2006 12:41:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 108MB(1%)
01/04/2006 12:26:24 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 98MB(1%)
01/04/2006 12:11:25 PM - Usage Checked Successfully - 85MB(1%)
01/04/2006 11:56:29 AM - Usage Checked Successfully - 59MB(0%)
01/04/2006 11:41:33 AM - Usage Checked Successfully - 46MB(0%)
01/04/2006 11:26:35 AM - Usage Checked Successfully - 23MB(0%)
01/04/2006 11:11:36 AM - Usage Checked Successfully - 0MB(0%)

As you can see in just 7 hours I have used 426 MB of data. This is 26 MB over my allowable daily amount. It also means that if I log back into SL today, I will go even further over my limit.
If it keeps up this way, I will only be able to play SL for a limited number of hours per day, or a limited number of days in the month.
Going over the limit will mean that my download rate will be speed capped to just 25.6 kbp/s. Thus rendering use of the internet for anything impossible.

Could LL please look at what has caused this huge increase in the amount of data that SL uses? I am sure I am not the only one affected. Anyone who lives in a country where their ISP's impose data limits will be adversely affected by this.

Regards
Midnite

I've moved this to Technical Issues for further discussion, Midnite.

There's a few other pieces of info that would be useful, such as:

1. can you please post logs of what your bandwidth usage looked like before?
   
2. has where you've been frequenting in Second Life changed dramatically, content-wise, since previous months? (E.g. do you tend to spend a lot of time in the same places, or are you out and about a lot?) Any texture-heavy areas, old or new ones that've sprung up where you go? Those will consume a lot.
   
3. what's your MAXIMUM BANDWIDTH set to in PREFERENCES ---> NETWORK tab? If you lower it and check for a few days, do you see an appreciable difference?
   
4. when standing still in a typical area you go to, do you see a lot of bandwidth usage, even after it seems everything has loaded? Further details are shown by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-1. In some places, there are objects that update a lot, and that will continually use bandwidth.
   

Anyone else seeing patterns of increased bandwidth usage and further experiences?