andy,
I'm not sure how cold your pool is right now, but I don't run my filter pump 8 hours even in the summer time. Granted, my pool is not in full sun for the entire day.
Now that the water is in the 40's here in northern California, I can get away with not running the filter pump for several days in a row, assuming that I have my FC in the proper range. I tend to only run the filter pump in the winter not for filtering purposes, but more for time for the pressure-side cleaner to run and for the PoolSkim to clean the surface of the pool. Algae is not a problem for me in the winter, and the water is always crystal clear. Basically I only run the filter pump in the wnter when I am in the backyard and notice leaves and needles floating on the surface or if I notice leaves and needles that have sunk to the bottom, which might only amount to a couple of hours per week during the winter.
Titanium